160-469: Tasman Motorsport was a V8 Supercar racing team. It was formed in 2004 out of what was Lansvale Racing Team V8 Supercar team and was associated with Greg Murphy Racing as a satellite operation . Tasman Motorsport entered the series in 2004, with a single Holden VX Commodore which was driven by Jason Richards . At the Queensland Raceway round they introduced a VY Commodore and then entered
320-494: A compression ratio of 10:1. The Holden teams had the option of using the Group A -developed 5.0-litre Holden V8 engine , although this was restricted to the second-tier privateer teams from 1994 onwards, forcing the major Holden runners to use the more expensive Chevrolet engine. The V8s were first eligible to compete in the endurance races of 1992 . The distinctive aerodynamics package, consisting of large front and rear spoilers ,
480-666: A new street race on a shortened version of the Adelaide Grand Prix Circuit became one of the first festival-style events, which would become common in later years. Australia's capital city, Canberra , hosted its first event on the Canberra Street Circuit in 2000 . In 2001 , a championship round was held in New Zealand for the first time, at Pukekohe Park Raceway . In 2002 , the V8 Supercar support event at
640-591: A 2.0 litre version of Tasman to be the future of the Australian Grand Prix, the overwhelming support for the already well established Formula 5000 saw natural selection force Confederation of Australian Motorsport (CAMS) ' hand. For the first half of the 1970s, the Tasman Series continued as a local series primarily for Formula 5000 racers, but by 1976, the Australian and New Zealand legs fractured apart and
800-411: A 2007 auditor-general's report found costs to host the event exceeded benefits by $ 6.7 million, while a 2012 report commissioned by Economists at Large for Save Albert Park estimated that the 2012 Grand Prix resulted in a net economic loss to Victoria of between $ 48.8m and $ 66.7m, with a mid-range estimate of $ 60.55m. The 2007 Australian Grand Prix ran at a $ 34.6 million loss, while according to Crikey,
960-420: A 60% share and TEGA the other 40%. A new board of directors was appointed, with two TEGA representatives and two AMRP representatives. In 2011, Archer Capital purchased a 65% shareholding in the series with the teams owning the other 35%. In December 2021, both Archer Capital and the teams sold their shareholdings to Race Australia Consolidated Enterprises. In the middle of 2008, a project led by Mark Skaife
1120-557: A 75% share in AVESCO, with SEL owning the other 25%. TEGA was responsible for the rules and technical management of the series and the supply of cars and drivers, while SEL was responsible for capturing and maintaining broadcasting rights, sponsorship, licensing, and sanction agreements. The expansion of the series began in 1998 , with the first round to be held in the Northern Territory taking place at Hidden Valley Raceway . In 1999 ,
1280-411: A Bathurst 1000 victory but finished as the highest Holden, in 4th place. Later on in the season the team announced that Rockstar Energy Drinks would come on board as a sponsor for the last two rounds of the season. The team were on the way to secure sponsorship (with Rockstar) for the 2008 season but at the last minute pulled out. 2008 saw Sprint Gas become the naming rights sponsor for what was due to be
1440-640: A Ford and Holden duopoly in 2020 with the departure of Nissan, while Ford replaced the Falcon with the Mustang in 2019. Holden announced its final year of competition in 2022, to be replaced by the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the 2023 season. Starting in 2026, Toyota will make its debut in the championship, competing with the GR Supra . The concept of a formula centred around V8-engined Fords and Holdens for
1600-508: A Great Place for the Race". Some 401,000 people turned out for the four days leading up to and including the first race in 1996, which remains a record for the event. The logistics of creating a temporary circuit and hosting an event of the magnitude of a Formula One Grand Prix from scratch were not lost on the international visitors, with Melbourne winning the F1 Constructors' Association Award for
1760-556: A bid by Melbourne's other circuit Sandown (though Sandown was able to attract a round of the World Sportscar Championship to its upgraded track in 1984 ). As it turned out, F1 would be tempted away from Melbourne by a far more attractive option but it was listed as a reserve race in the 1982 F1 calendar. The Australian Grand Prix became a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship in 1985 with
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#17328982341341920-718: A car park within the park. The circuit is renowned as being a smooth and high-speed test for Formula One teams and drivers. Its characteristics are similar to the only other street circuit set in a public park used in the Formula One World Championship, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal which hosts the Canadian Grand Prix . The promotional theme for the first race in Melbourne was "Melbourne – What
2080-523: A combined field of Formula One and Formula 5000 padded out with the Australised version of Formula Atlantic cars, Formula Pacific. The newly crowned world champion, Jones swept the field aside in his Williams - Ford , but with only two F1 cars entering (the other being the Alfa Romeo 179 driven by Bruno Giacomelli ). The continuing disintegration of F5000 saw Jane concentrate the next four Grands Prix on
2240-545: A front spoiler and splitter ,and a rear wing . The aerodynamics package for each manufacturer is homologated after a series of tests which ensure that the different body styles produce near-identical downforce and drag numbers. By modern racing vehicle standards, Supercars have relatively low amounts of downforce. This is intended to make it easier to follow other cars, and make the handling more similar to road cars. The Gen 3 cars were originally reported to produce about 140 kg of downforce at 200 km/h, similar to
2400-622: A last-ditch overtaking move on the last lap. Piquet won from the Ferraris of Mansell and Prost. There was pre-race controversy when Prost refused to take part in both the annual end of season drivers' photo and the special photo shoot with the World Champions in attendance (including legendary five-time champion Juan Manuel Fangio , three-time champions Sir Jack Brabham , Jackie Stewart , Niki Lauda, and Nelson Piquet; and other world champions James Hunt , Alan Jones, Denny Hulme and Senna), as Prost
2560-509: A mid-mounted gearbox; the repositioning of the fuel tank to in front of the rear axle to improve safety; replacing the windscreen with a polycarbonate unit; and a switch from 17 inches (430 mm) to 18 inches (460 mm) wheels. In 2011, it was announced that the Car of the Future would not be introduced until 2013 . In February 2012, Nissan confirmed that they would enter the series under Car of
2720-508: A new movement for extra safety in the sport. Luckily, Häkkinen recovered fully and was fit to race again in 1996, thus missing only one race. Häkkinen climbed back into a Formula One car at Paul Ricard three months after the accident. The final F1 race at Adelaide was won by Damon Hill in a Williams, with almost all of his main rivals including Schumacher retiring, and Hill finished two laps ahead of second-placed Olivier Panis. In 1993 prominent Melbourne businessman Ron Walker began working with
2880-425: A pre-race agreement between the pair that whoever made it to the first corner in the lead on lap one would be allowed to win. Ferrari won its first Grand Prix in Melbourne in 1999, but it was not with team number one Michael Schumacher . Northern Irishman Eddie Irvine took his maiden victory after the all-conquering McLarens of Häkkinen and Coulthard retired before half-distance. Schumacher broke his Melbourne drought
3040-479: A puncture that caused damage to his McLaren; this was the 1982 champion's last Formula One race. Whilst comfortably in the top three with 20 laps to go, Mansell's Williams suffered a spectacular mechanical failure, with a rear tyre puncture at 180 mph (290 km/h) on the Brabham Straight, creating a huge shower of sparks as the floor of the vehicle dragged along the bitumen surface. Mansell fought to control
3200-514: A race held in variable conditions. Normal service was resumed in 2004 with the Ferraris of Schumacher and Barrichello running rampant – within two laps of Friday practice, Schumacher had obliterated the Albert Park lap record, and sailed to a crushing win. In 2005, the race was won by Renault 's Giancarlo Fisichella after a storm during Saturday qualifying produced a topsy-turvy grid. Barrichello and Fisichella's teammate Fernando Alonso came through
3360-462: A right–left chicane with a heavy braking zone on the approach, the redesign saw them removed. This was done to raise the approach speed for old turns 11 and 12. Several other corners were reprofiled to encourage overtaking, most notably the old turn 13, which was widened to create additional racing lines. Positive camber was also added to allow drivers to carry more speed through the corner. The main straight and pit lane were also redesigned, with
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#17328982341343520-440: A road-registerable Porsche 911 GT3 RS . Revisions in 2024 are stated to produce about 20% more downforce. The minimum weight of each car is 1,335 kilograms (2,943 lb) including the driver and excluding the fuel, with a minimum load of 725 kg over the front axle. The minimum weight for the driver is 95 kg and includes the driver dressed in a full racing suit the seat and seat mountings and any ballast needed to meet
3680-574: A second round held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi . In November 2010, the series was granted international status by the FIA for the 2011 season , allowing the series to race at up to six international venues each year. As a result, the series name was changed to the 'International V8 Supercars Championship'. 2008 saw the separate boards of directors of VESA and TEGA merge into a single board that
3840-475: A six-piston caliper, while the rear discs are 355 millimetres (14.0 in) diameter and have a four-piston caliper. The cars use 18-inch (460 mm) control wheels, produced by Rimstock and supplied by Racer Industries, and control tyres from Dunlop. Supercars are provided with Soft, Supersoft, and Hard slick tyres as well as grooved wet tyres for each event, The requirement to use varying compounds and how many tyres need to be changed per race are dependent on
4000-625: A three-year deal. Murphy and Richards started the season promisingly finishing 7th and 9th overall at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide. More top 10 results at the next round at Eastern Creek means that Murphy comes into the next round at Hamilton in 7th place with 330 points. Criticism was received around the rushed livery that Tasman were running and the team designed a new livery for the Hamilton 400. 2009 saw Jason Bargwanna come in and replace Jason Richards in
4160-460: A tyre failure at the early part of the first qualifying session at the high speed Brewery Bend between Jones and Brabham Straights, which resulted in him crashing heavily into the outside wall. He was critically injured in the crash and was saved only due to an emergency cricothyroidotomy that was performed by the side of the track by Sid Watkins . This incident forged a strong bond between Häkkinen and team principal Ron Dennis , and also sent forth
4320-473: Is a "parity formula" which attempts to ensure that competitors using any of the available car models compete on an equal basis. In this aspect, it is similar in philosophy to the NASCAR Cup Series .The category's current rules, and the charter between organisers and teams state that "..to the extent that it is possible, Competition will take place between the different makes and models of Cars as equalised by
4480-593: Is broadcast in 137 countries and has an average event attendance of over 100,000. With over 250,000 in attendance annually, the Adelaide 500 is the most attended Supercars race in Australia . The vehicles used in the series are loosely based on road-going cars. Cars are custom made using a control chassis, with only certain body panels being common between the road cars and race cars. The cars are controlled for "technical parity" - ensuring that teams and drivers using any of
4640-736: Is held in New Zealand, with events previously being held in China, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. The Melbourne SuperSprint championship event is also held in support of the Australian Grand Prix . Race formats vary between each event, with sprint races between 100 and 200 kilometres (62 and 124 mi) in length, street races between 125 and 250 kilometres (78 and 155 mi) in length, and two-driver endurance races held at Sandown and Bathurst . The series
4800-542: Is his own cars before Stewart and McRae each took a pair of wins. Towards the end of the 1970s, the race again became a home to returning European-based antipodeans like Alan Jones and Larry Perkins with Warwick Brown winning the 1977 race, while in 1976 , touring car racer John Goss completed a remarkable double becoming the only driver to win the Grand Prix and the Bathurst 1000 touring car race . Declining economy and
4960-676: Is intended to extend to aerodynamics, engine performance, and handling characteristics. In practice, achieving technical parity has proven difficult and contentious, with a number of changes for the 2023 and 2024 season to aerodynamics and engines. The body of each car is based on its corresponding production car in Right Hand Drive and with homologation requirements. The bodies of both models are aerodynamically balanced through these homologations requirements, along with general balancing upon entering Composite and Exotic materials are generally not permitted. The tail lamps are carried over from
Tasman Motorsport - Misplaced Pages Continue
5120-517: The 1968 Australian Grand Prix at Sandown Raceway . Graham Hill won the 1966 race, with Amon winning the final Tasman formulae race in 1969 leading home Ferrari teammate Derek Bell for a dominant 1–2 at Lakeside Raceway . By the end of the decade, European teams were increasingly reluctant to commit to the Tasman Series in the face of longer home seasons, but also having to develop 2.5-litre versions of their 3.0 litre F1 engines. Local Tasman cars were declining as well and after originally opting
5280-439: The 2010 Singapore Grand Prix . The 2022 edition set a new attendance record at the circuit for the weekend, with a reported 419,114 attendees, including 128,294 on race day; these figures made the 2022 Grand Prix the highest attended Grand Prix ever held in Melbourne and one of the most popular sporting weekends in Australian history. The 2023 edition, which saw Max Verstappen win his maiden Australian Grand Prix, would break
5440-457: The 2012 season . The plan was publicly unveiled in March 2010 and was shown to incorporate several key changes to the internal workings of the car. The chassis and the cooling, fuel and electronics systems would all be changed to control parts, with changes to the engine, drivetrain, rear suspension, wheels and the control brake package. The safety of the cars was also to be reviewed and improved. While
5600-498: The 2022 Australian Grand Prix generated an estimated $ 92 million of direct spending in the Victorian economy and boosted Victoria's Gross State Product by an estimated $ 171 million, with the Grand Prix also credited for driving up hotel occupancy and stimulating patronage for hospitality businesses. This mirrors a 2011 EY report commissioned by Tourism Victoria, which found international exposure and tourism spending stemming from hosting
5760-562: The 2022 edition , four-time World Drivers' Champion Alain Prost remains the only driver to win the race in both World Championship and domestic formats. Prost won the Australian Drivers' Championship 1982 race, driving a Formula Pacific Ralt RT4 , before winning in Adelaide in 1986 and 1988 in Formula One. Australian driver Lex Davison and German driver Michael Schumacher are
5920-498: The 2023 and 2024 British Grands Prix , which both drew 480,000 attendees. The move of the Australian Grand Prix to Melbourne saw a change in the time of year that the F1 teams and personnel made their annual voyage to Australia. Adelaide, for each of its 11 years, was the final race of the F1 season, usually in October or November, while Melbourne has been the first race of the season in 22 of
6080-538: The 2023 Bathurst 1000 , the fastest Supercars qualifying lap recorded was 2:04.664 by Brodie Kostecki . On the same race weekend, the fastest qualifying lap recorded by the Carrera Cup cars was 2:04.6672. Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event which is under contract to host Formula One until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia,
6240-668: The Australian Touring Car Championship had been established as early as mid-1991. With the new regulations set to come into effect in 1993 , Ford and Holden were both keen to know the details of the new formula by the end of 1991, putting pressure on the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) to provide clarity on the matter. However, CAMS was waiting to see what the FIA did with its proposed international formula for 2.5- and 2.0-litre touring cars. The new rules for
6400-476: The Benetton up on two wheels and into the tyre barrier, Schumacher retiring on the spot. Hill came out of the incident with a broken wishbone on his front-left suspension, he pitted and retired from the race, handing the title to Schumacher. The sister Williams of the 41-year-old Nigel Mansell went on to win the race, becoming the oldest Grand Prix winner since Jack Brabham in 1970. In 1995 , Mika Häkkinen suffered
6560-567: The Boxing Day Test , the Australian Grand Prix Corporation does not release precise crowd figures for the Australian Grand Prix, citing security concerns; in responding to a freedom of information request, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation stated in 2022 that it believes that crowd figures are sensitive from a security and safety perspective, and disclosing it has the potential to affect the security of Victoria by assisting
Tasman Motorsport - Misplaced Pages Continue
6720-538: The Formula Pacific (later rebadged as Formula Mondial ) category and importing Formula One drivers to race the locals in fields almost entirely made up of Ralt RT4s. Brazilian Roberto Moreno dominated this era, winning three of the four races, ceding only the 1982 race to future four-time World Champion Alain Prost . Jane's attempt to bring the World Championship to Calder Park ultimately failed, as did
6880-607: The Grand Prix , who took the victory from the McLarens of Kevin Magnussen and Button, both of whom were promoted due to the disqualification of Daniel Ricciardo in the Red Bull post race for illegal fuel flow. 2015 saw Hamilton take the victory from teammate Rosberg, with Vettel completing the top three. In 2020 , it was planned to hold the Grand Prix despite the coronavirus epidemic in
7040-561: The Indy 300 on the Gold Coast became a championship round, having been a non-championship event since 1994. Major format changes were made for 1999, with the incorporation of the endurance races into the championship. Control tyres were used for the first time, with Bridgestone selected as the supplier. The series was also renamed from the "Australian Touring Car Championship" to the "Shell Championship Series", by virtue of Shell's sponsorship of
7200-500: The Ligier – Renaults of Frenchmen Jacques Laffite and Philippe Streiff who actually collided at the hairpin at the end of Brabham Straight with only one lap to go when Streiff tried a passing move that resulted in his car suffering broken suspension, though not bad enough to cause retirement. Three time World Champion Austrian Niki Lauda drove his last Formula One race at this event. After starting 16th in his McLaren , he made his way to
7360-689: The Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) regulations, governing the sport. Supercars events take place in all Australian states and the Northern Territory , with the Australian Capital Territory formerly holding the Canberra 400 . Usually, an international round
7520-428: The final drive ratio are fixed with drop gears at the front of the transaxle allowing the teams to alter the overall transmission ratio for different circuits. The cars use a triple plate clutch. The cars run on E75 fuel with a fuel tank capacity of about 130 Litres An electronic control unit (ECU), provided by MoTeC, is used to monitor and optimise various aspects of the engine's performance. Numerous sensors in
7680-415: The "Save Albert Park" group, which claimed that the race turned a public park into a private playground for one week per year. Additionally, they claimed that the race cost a great deal of money that would be better spent, if it were to be spent on motor racing, on a permanent circuit elsewhere. Finally, they said that the claimed economic benefits of the race were false or exaggerated. The race organisers and
7840-424: The #3 Sprint Gas Racing VE Commodore. Despite a standout performance at the 2009 Bathurst 1000 which saw both cars finish in the top six, the team announced it would not be continuing into 2010 and its V8 Supercar Racing Entitlement Contracts were for sale. The team cited lack of funding for 2010 as the reasons for closure. Greg Murphy Racing V8 Supercars The Supercars Championship currently known as
8000-661: The 2.0-litre class cars competed in a separate race to the V8s. This was changed for the second round of 1993 after only nine entrants were in the 2.0-litre class for the first round at Amaroo Park . With the new regulations intended to be a parity formula, protests by the Holden teams indicated that the Fords had an aerodynamic advantage after they won the opening three rounds, beating the Commodores comprehensively. After round five at Winton , Holden
8160-434: The 2008 race which had three safety car periods and only six finishers. In 2009 Jenson Button took the victory, driving for debutant team Brawn GP , which was having its first race after Ross Brawn had bought the team following Honda 's withdrawal from Formula One. The team was formed from the remnants of Honda Racing F1 who had withdrawn from the sport following the 2008 season. The race ended with Button, who had led from
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#17328982341348320-476: The 2023 Grand Prix alone costing Victorian taxpayers $ 100.6 million to host. The 2019 event generated $ 55 million in revenue but cost $ 115.2 million to stage, the 2022 event generated $ 75.1 million in revenue but cost $ 153.2 million to stage, and the 2023 event generated $ 96.9 million in revenue but cost $ 197.6 million to stage. Following the move of the Australian Grand Prix to Melbourne, spectator attendance peaked at 452,055 in 2024, but has never reached that of
8480-655: The 27 times it has hosted the Grand Prix. As such, the Albert Park circuit has seen the Formula One debuts of many drivers. 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve made his race debut in Melbourne's first year of 1996, and became one of three men to secure pole position in his maiden Grand Prix. Other prominent names to debut in Melbourne are seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton (2007), three-time World Champion Max Verstappen (2015), two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso and one-time champion Kimi Räikkönen (both in 2001); former Australian F1 driver, Mark Webber , also made his debut there in 2002. As part of celebrations for
8640-686: The ATCC were announced in November 1991 and indicated that the V8 cars would be significantly faster than the smaller-engined cars. In 1992, CAMS looked at closing the performance gap between the classes, only to have protests from Ford and Holden, which did not want to see their cars beaten by the smaller cars. In June 1992, the class structure was confirmed: Both the Ford Falcon EB and Holden Commodore VP ran American-based engines, which were restricted to 7,500 rpm and
8800-431: The Australian Grand Prix centres around the event's economic impact for the state of Victoria; proponents of the event claim that the event increases tourism, creates jobs and generates millions of dollars for the state of Victoria, while opponents dispute the event's economic benefits and cite the cost on taxpayers to host the event, as well as the disruptions generated by the event. In 2014, the Victorian government claimed
8960-487: The Australian Grand Prix in 1929 , continued on the rectangular dirt road circuit. Bugattis dominated the results, taking four consecutive wins from 1929 to 1932. The last Phillip Island race was in 1935 and the title lapsed for three years. An AGP style event was held on Boxing Day, 1936 at the South Australian town of Victor Harbor for a centennial South Australian Grand Prix before the Australian Grand Prix title
9120-442: The Australian Grand Prix made losses of $ 59.97 million in 2014, $ 61.7 million in 2015, $ 61 million in 2016 and $ 57.1 million in 2017. Over the decade preceding 2022, the Australian Grand Prix collectively cost Victorian taxpayers $ 537.5 million to host, with the 2019 Australian Grand Prix alone costing Victorian taxpayers $ 60.2 million to host, the 2022 Australian Grand Prix alone costing Victorian taxpayers $ 78.1 million to host, and
9280-449: The Australian Grand Prix separated from the remnants and became a stand-alone race once more. During this era, the former Tasman stars, Matich, Geoghegan and Bartlett would continue on as a new generation of drivers emerged, some like Garrie Cooper ( Elfin ) and Graham McRae developing their own cars while others like Max Stewart , John McCormack and Alfredo Costanzo using European-built cars, mostly Lolas . Matich won two Grands Prix
9440-557: The Australian Grand Prix was staged in 1927 at the grass surface Goulburn Racecourse held as a series of sprints, it is generally accepted that the Australian Grand Prix began as the 100 Miles Road Race held at the Phillip Island road circuit in 1928. The inaugural race was won by Arthur Waite in what was effectively an entry supported by the Austin Motor Company , a modified Austin 7 . For eight years, races, first called
9600-399: The Australian Grand Prix. Official attendance numbers, which are inexact and have been challenged by the anti-Grand Prix lobby group Save Albert Park as gross overestimates, have been as follows: Drivers in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season. A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship. As of
9760-538: The Australian States, as fostered by the Australian Automobile Association . A mixture of stripped-down production sports cars and Australian "specials" were to take victories as the race travelled amongst temporary converted airfield circuits and street circuits like Point Cook , Leyburn , Nuriootpa and Narrogin before, on the races return to Mount Panorama in 1952 , the way to the future
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#17328982341349920-632: The Australian Touring Car Championship. They did not contest the endurance races at Sandown and Bathurst, leaving these open solely to the 5.0-litre Ford and Holden models. The Australian Vee Eight Super Car Company (AVESCO) – a joint venture between the Touring Car Entrants Group of Australia (TEGA), sports promoters IMG and the Australian Motor Sports Commission – was formed in November 1996 to run
10080-452: The Brazilian's retirement. This effectively handing Prost his third Drivers' Championship; McLaren's appeal had not been decided yet, but with Senna failing to score, he was mathematically unable to catch Prost even if his Japanese Grand Prix victory stood, and it was not only overturned but Senna received a $ 100,000 fine and a six-month ban, both of which were rescinded. Boutsen won the race in
10240-733: The Car of the Future moniker was dropped in favour of the name "New Generation V8 Supercar". The series continued its international expansion in 2013, with the first event in North America held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin , Texas . In 2015, five drivers took part in a series of demonstration races at the Kuala Lumpur Street Circuit as part of the KL City Grand Prix . This
10400-510: The Class C cars eligible for 1993 only, the German manufacturer's attention switched to the 2.0-litre class for 1994. Cars from all three classes would contest the 1993 Australian Touring Car Championship , as well as non-championship Australian touring car events such as the Bathurst 1000 . However, for the purposes of race classification and points allocation, cars competed in two classes: Originally,
10560-417: The Drivers' Championship. Briton Nigel Mansell and Brazilian Nelson Piquet in Williams – Hondas and Frenchman Alain Prost , in a comparatively underpowered McLaren – TAG/Porsche , were competing for the drivers' title. Mansell needed only third to guarantee the title, whilst Prost and Piquet needed to win and for Mansell to finish fourth or lower to take the title. Finn Keke Rosberg led for 62 laps before
10720-412: The European winters in Australia and New Zealand from 1963 to 1969 playing host to a golden age for racing in the region for which the Australian Grand Prix (and the New Zealand Grand Prix ) became jewels of the summer. The popularity of the Tasman formulae was directly responsible for 1966's "return to power" in Formula One, and having spent years developing with Repco the Brabham cars and eventually
10880-412: The Falcon, rather than the MacPherson struts used previously, and a Watts link at the rear rather than a Panhard. The aerodynamic packages were comprehensively tested and revised and differences in the porting of each of the manufacturers' engines were also removed. The performance of the new Ford BA Falcon and Holden VY and VZ Commodores was fairly even for the next four years, with Ford winning
11040-513: The Formula One World Championship was also the 50th AGP. The new 3.78 km Adelaide Street Circuit saw Brazilian Ayrton Senna on pole with a time of 1:19.843 in his Lotus – Renault . The race itself was a battle between Senna and Finland's Keke Rosberg driving a Williams – Honda for the last time. Run in oppressively hot conditions, the last race of the 1985 season ran to its 2-hour time limit, though all scheduled 82 laps were run. Rosberg ultimately prevailed finishing 43 seconds in front of
11200-405: The Future regulations with Kelly Racing . Later in 2012, Australian GT Championship team Erebus Motorsport announced they would be running Mercedes-Benz cars in the championship, taking over Stone Brothers Racing . In June 2013, Volvo announced it would enter the series in 2014 in a collaboration with its motorsport arm, Polestar Racing and Garry Rogers Motorsport . In November 2013
11360-575: The Gen 3 regulations were introduced for the 2023 Supercars Championship . The main aim was to create closer racing, to reduce costs and to increase road-relevance for the manufacturers. To do this, sweeping aerodynamic changes were made to cut the generated downforce . This reduced the amount of "dirty" air created, and made the cars more challenging to drive. The regulations continued previous changes to ensure technical parity between cars, helping to keep power, downforce and drag levels identical. Engines were also changed, to increase longevity and decrease
11520-428: The Grand Prix generated between $ 32.04 million and $ 39.34 million for Victoria's Gross State Product during the period in which the Grand Prix was held, while also generating between 351 and 411 full-time equivalent jobs. According to an Economic Impact Assessment conducted by EY, the 2023 Australian Grand Prix contributed an estimated $ 268 million to the Victorian economy, including $ 144 million in direct expenditure and
11680-607: The Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different venues having been used since it was first run at Phillip Island in 1928 . The race became part of the Formula One World Championship in 1985 . Since 1996 , it has been held at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne , with the exceptions of 2020 and 2021, when the races were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Before that, it was held in Adelaide . While an event called
11840-549: The Kennett government to make Melbourne the host of the event. After the government of Jeff Kennett spent an undisclosed amount, it was announced on 17 December 1993 (less than a week after the South Australian election ) that the race would be shifted to a rebuilt Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne . The race moved to Melbourne in 1996. The decision to hold the race there was controversial. A series of protests were organised by
12000-602: The Mustang) is a 5.4L V8 with four camshafts and 4 valves per cylinder. These engines were designed to be cheaper and have a higher longevity compared to previous engines, along with being more road-relevant. The Toyota engine (for use in the GR Supra) introduced in 2026 is a 5.0L V8 with DOHC with 4 valves per cylinder. Power is transferred from the engine to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential transaxle with an integrated spool differential . The individual gear ratios and
12160-881: The Oldsmobile-based Repco V8s in the Tasman series gave Jack Brabham the opportunity to unexpectedly dominate Formula One in his Brabhams with a ready-proven lightweight car that left Ferrari and the British "garagistes" struggling with their heavy, technically fragile or underpowered cars until the appearance of the Lotus-Cosworth in 1967. The Formula One stars of the era all visited the Tasman Series, including World Champions Jim Clark , John Surtees , Phil Hill , Jackie Stewart , Graham Hill and Jochen Rindt , while other F1 regulars Timmy Mayer , Pedro Rodriguez , Piers Courage , leading teams from Cooper, Lotus, Lola, BRM, even
12320-471: The Red Bull, with Hamilton second and Vitaly Petrov third for Lotus . This was the first ever podium for a Russian Formula One driver . 2012 saw Button win for the third time in four years at the circuit. 2013 saw a surprise victory with Raikkonen in the Lotus winning from Alonso and Vettel. The reintroduction of V6 turbo hybrid engines for 2014 saw a dominant performance from Mercedes 's Nico Rosberg at
12480-624: The VX as car #43 for Fabian Coulthard for the Oran Park Raceway round. 2005 saw the team upgrade to a two car operation and move to a new factory near Melbourne , from their previous site in Sydney. With internet service provider Dodo the naming sponsor of the team, both Jason Richards, and Jamie Whincup , had some very good placings including third at the Sandown 500 and second in the Bathurst 1000 This
12640-445: The annual economic impact of hosting the Australian Grand Prix was between $ 32 million and $ 39 million, with the event generating significant economic, social and cultural benefits including job creation, industry development, inward investment and tourism, while opponents of the event claimed that the event cost Victorian taxpayers over $ 50 million to host. According to a 2022 economic impact assessment conducted by Ernst & Young ,
12800-530: The appearance of Lotus chassis as well, finally killing off the Australian "specials". With European Formula One restricted by the 1.5-litre regulations and big powerful 2.5-litre Australian cars were tremendously attractive to the European teams and when BRM Grand Prix team toured Australia during the summer of 1962, the seed grew that became the Tasman Series . The top European Formula One teams and drivers raced
12960-450: The best organised Grand Prix of the year in its first two years (1996 and 1997). It took just three corners for the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park to gain worldwide attention. On the first lap of the first race in 1996, Jordan's Martin Brundle was launched into the air in an enormous accident. Footage of the crash, and Brundle's subsequent rush back to the pits to take the spare car for
13120-537: The car after Suzuka; he did not compete in this race. The Drivers' Championship had already been decided in Senna's favour; but the Constructors' Championship was still yet to be decided between McLaren and Williams. Senna's victory plus his teammate Gerhard Berger's third gave McLaren its fourth consecutive Constructors' Championship; Williams (which was behind McLaren in points) drivers Mansell finished second (but crashed near
13280-456: The car collect information which is then transmitted to the team, allowing them to monitor things such as tyre wear and fuel consumption and find potential problems with the car. The ECU is also used by officials during the scrutineering process. During the race it can also serve functions such as to automatically limit a car's speed. All cars are required to use a double wishbone setup for the front suspension and independent rear suspension. Both
13440-654: The category. Reverse-grid races were introduced for multiple rounds in 2000 before being confined to just the Canberra round for 2001. Also in 2001, compulsory pit stops were introduced at certain rounds and the Top Ten Shootout was used at all rounds. The control tyre supplier changed from Bridgestone to Dunlop in 2002 and the series name was changed to the "V8 Supercar Championship Series" after Shell discontinued their sponsorship. Discussions about parity had returned in 2000, with 100 millimetres (3.9 in) trimmed from
13600-411: The championship in 2003, 2004 , and 2005 and Holden winning in 2006 . Reverse-grid races were used at certain events in 2006 before unpopularity with the drivers, teams, and fans saw them abolished halfway through the season. The Holden VE Commodore caused controversy when it was introduced in 2007 . The production model was longer, wider, and taller than the rival Ford BF Falcon and outside of
13760-567: The contract period and will host a minimum of five season-opening races over the 13 years between 2023 and 2035. From 2023, Formula 2 and Formula 3 races will form part of the race weekend schedule. A further two-year extension was signed in December 2022, ensuring that the race would remain in Melbourne until 2037. After a two-year absence as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian Grand Prix returned in 2022. Unlike previous years, when it
13920-510: The cost of a rebuild. The current Gen 3 regulations are a complete refresh of the previous generation, with the cessation of volume car production in Australia being a major factor. The current cars are the Ford Mustang GT and the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 . The full list of regulations, Sporting and Technical, can be found on the Supercars website in the operations manual [1] . Supercars
14080-526: The country . Ferrari and AlphaTauri as teams based in Italy, the most coronavirus-infected country in Europe at the time, expressed concern about the possibility of leaving the quarantine zone. One of McLaren's mechanics got flu-like symptoms when he arrived in Australia, his coronavirus test returned positive and the British team withdrew from the race. Later, a photographer was also confirmed to have coronavirus. It
14240-474: The creation of 1,149 full-time equivalent jobs, with $ 128 million of direct investment contributed by 81,000 international and interstate visitors who attended the event. However, a cost-benefit analysis of the Australian Grand Prix done for the Auditor-General in 2005 revealed a net economic loss for Victoria, with the estimated costs of the event exceeding the benefits to Victorian taxpayers by 5 per cent,
14400-444: The deal with Melbourne that would see the Victorian capital host the Australian Grand Prix from 1996. It was thought that Melbourne's unsuccessful quest to stage the 1996 Olympic Games, and the subsequently successful bid by northern rival city Sydney to host the 2000 Summer Olympics , was a driving force behind Melbourne's motivation to wrest the Australian Grand Prix away from Adelaide. The Australian Grand Prix at Adelaide in 1985–1995
14560-471: The dominance of the local scene by Group C touring cars towards the latter part of the 1970s saw Formula 5000 gradually fall out of favour. By 1980, the decision to replace was once again imminent; however, the form of Alan Jones in Formula One saw entrepreneur Bob Jane seize an opportunity to bring Formula One back as the Grand Prix Formula. The 1980 event held at Jane's Calder Park Raceway saw
14720-469: The driver in the event of a crash. The fuel tank is positioned in front of the rear axle to prevent it from being damaged or ruptured in a rear end impact. The driver is seated towards the centre of the car and extra reinforcement is used on the roll cage on the driver's side to lessen the risk of injury in a side-on collision. The cars also feature a collapsible steering column and a fire extinguisher system. All cars have an aerodynamics package consisting of
14880-520: The entrance to the permanent race course because of gearbox problems. The race then turned into a dead-heat sprint between Nelson Piquet in his Benetton - Ford and Nigel Mansell in his Ferrari. Mansell charged through the field and repeatedly broke the lap record in pursuit of his former Williams teammate. This almost ended in disaster when the Ferrari almost hit the Benetton at the end of the Brabham Straight in
15040-558: The event The highest speed recorded in a Supercar of any generation is 300.5 km/h on the (downhill) Conrod Straight on the Mount Panorama Circuit , by Shane van Gisbergen in qualifying for the 2023 Bathurst 1000. 2024-spec cars are expected to be about 10 km/h slower. Supercar lap times are similar to the 992 GT3 Cup cars running in the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship . At
15200-439: The event was contested for championship points for the first time, and was known as the Melbourne 400 . The 2021 event was originally scheduled to open the season in March, but moved to November due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and travel disruptions, then cancelled on 6 July. It was also going through several changes to make the track faster. An issue that is frequently debated amongst both supporters and opponents of
15360-447: The fence, behind which Beveridge was standing; Beveridge was hit by a tyre that flew off of Villeneuve's car. The start of the 2002 race saw pole-sitter Barrichello and Williams's Ralf Schumacher come together at Turn One in a spectacular accident that saw 11 of the 22 cars eliminated before the end of the opening lap. Michael Schumacher dominated thereafter to post a third straight Melbourne win, but his achievements were overshadowed by
15520-445: The field from 11th and 13th on the grid respectively to join pole sitter Fisichella on the podium. In 2006, Alonso took his first Australian win in an accident-marred race that featured four safety car periods. In 2007 Kimi Räikkönen won in his first race for Ferrari, while rookie Lewis Hamilton became the first driver in 11 years to finish on the podium in his F1 debut, finishing third behind his McLaren teammate Alonso. Hamilton won
15680-434: The fifth place of Australian Mark Webber on his Formula One debut. Webber, in an underpowered and underfunded Minardi , had to recover from a botched late pit stop and resist the challenges of Toyota's Mika Salo in the closing stages, and took to the podium after the race with Australian team owner Paul Stoddart in one of Melbourne's more memorable Grand Prix moments. The next year, 2003, saw Coulthard again win for McLaren in
15840-497: The first ever rear-engine car to win the Grand Prix. The Grand Prix returned to Albert Park in 1956 , the year when Melbourne hosted the Summer Olympics , to play host to a group of visiting European teams, led by Stirling Moss and the factory Maserati racing team who brought a fleet of 250F Grand Prix cars and 300S sports racing cars. Moss won the Grand Prix from Maserati teammate Jean Behra . That 1956 race would inspire
16000-1056: The first time. The series travelled to the Shanghai International Circuit in China in 2005, originally on a five-year agreement, however the promoter of the race dropped their support and the series did not return thereafter. 2006 saw the series travel to the Middle East , with an event held at the Bahrain International Circuit in Bahrain . Multiple new street circuits appeared on the calendar in 2008 and 2009, with new events held in Hamilton in New Zealand , Townsville in North Queensland and at Sydney Olympic Park . The series' Middle East expansion continued in 2010 with
16160-405: The following year when he headed a dominant Ferrari 1–2 with new teammate Rubens Barrichello . The 2001 event, also won by Michael Schumacher, was marked by tragedy when 52-year-old volunteer marshal Graham Beveridge was killed after a high-speed accident involving Ralf Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve on lap five. Villeneuve's B.A.R. rode up across the back of Schumacher's Williams and crashed into
16320-464: The four wheel drive Ferguson P99 and finally, Ferrari , racing against the local stars, Jack Brabham , Bruce McLaren , Denny Hulme , Chris Amon , Frank Gardner , Frank Matich , Leo Geoghegan and Kevin Bartlett . Brabham won the Grand Prix three times, McLaren twice, Clark twice, the second was his last major victory before his untimely death, winning a highly entertaining battle with Chris Amon at
16480-474: The front and rear suspension systems feature adjustable shock absorbers and an anti-roll bar which, as of the introduction of the Gen 3 regulations, can not be adjusted from inside the car The cars use disc brakes supplied by AP Racing on the front and rear, with the master cylinders provided by AP Racing or former control brake supplier Alcon. The front discs have a diameter of 395 millimetres (15.6 in) and
16640-511: The front spoiler of the Commodore after Holden, in particular, the Holden Racing Team , had dominated in 1998 and 1999. This was in response to the 300 millimetres (12 in) removed from the Falcon in previous seasons, and coincided with a 10 millimetres (0.39 in) trim from the Falcon's rear spoiler. The small reduction for the Holden teams was quickly addressed with both cars receiving
16800-516: The government claimed that the economic benefits to the state, although unquantifiable, outweighed the costs, and highlighted that the park's public amenities have been greatly improved from the World War II vintage facilities previously located at Albert Park; the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (scene of many Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games events) being the centre piece and best known of
16960-560: The homologated cars have a chance to build and drive a winning car. All cars currently use either a 5.4L or 5.7L Naturally aspirated V8 engine . Originally only for Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores , the new generation V8 Supercar regulations, introduced in 2013, opened up the series to more manufacturers. Nissan were the first new manufacturer to commit to the series with four Nissan Altima L33s followed briefly by Erebus Motorsport with Mercedes-Benz E63 AMGs and Garry Rogers Motorsport with Volvo S60s . The series returned to
17120-590: The last Adelaide race in 1995. In 2009, higher unemployment and a snap public transport strike were cited by Victorian Premier John Brumby as a reason for a slight drop in crowds. Attendance numbers improved in 2010 to an estimate of 305,000 – the largest since the 2005 race. In contrast to other major sporting events in Australia such as the AFL Grand Final , the Melbourne Cup , the Australian Open and
17280-451: The last race of the season held on the street circuit in Adelaide . The Adelaide Street Circuit , which held its last Formula One race in 1995 , was known as a challenging, demanding and tricky circuit that often produced races of attrition, and the whole event was very popular with drivers, teams and fans. Whenever the teams came to Adelaide they enjoyed the party atmosphere. The first ever Australian Grand Prix to be included as part of
17440-400: The late Senna, was on pole but a poor start resulted in the two championship rivals Hill and Schumacher battling for the lead. But on lap 36, Schumacher went off the track, a result of oversteer, and this allowed Hill to catch up with Schumacher and take the inside line for the next corner. Schumacher turned in on Hill's Williams (whether on purpose or accidentally remains unknown) which sent
17600-399: The lead by lap 57, but a lack of brakes cause him to crash into a wall in a sad end to his Formula One career. Australia had its own driver in the race with 1980 World Champion Alan Jones driving a Lola – Hart . Jones, who started 19th, stalled at the start but fought his way to sixth by lap 20 before retiring later in the lap with electrical failure. The 1986 event was a three-way race for
17760-572: The limits set by Project Blueprint. As a result, the VE race car was granted custom bodywork – namely shortened rear doors and a lowered roofline to meet the regulations. Despite this, the VE was approved for use in the series, along with the BF Falcon, after several months of preseason testing. Sequential gearboxes were introduced in 2008 and became compulsory by the end of the year. In 2009 , E85 (a fuel consisting of 85% ethanol and 15% unleaded petrol )
17920-564: The line first. 1987 saw Gerhard Berger win in his Ferrari while Ayrton Senna finished second but was then disqualified for technical irregularities in his last race for Lotus; Berger's teammate Michele Alboreto was then moved up to second place to make the final result a Ferrari 1–2. 1988 , the last Grand Prix of the turbo era, saw Alain Prost win his seventh race of the season from McLaren teammate and newly crowned World Champion Ayrton Senna with outgoing champion Nelson Piquet third for Lotus, giving Honda turbo's all three podium positions. The race
18080-530: The minimum weight. Some other components also have a minimum weight, such as the engine and the front uprights All cars must be front-engine, rear-wheel-drive , and powered by a V8 engine designated by Supercars for use in the respected model of car, and balanced in power and weight. Currently, the GM engine (for use in the Camaro) is a 5.7L V8 with a single camshaft and two valves per cylinder. The Ford engine (for use in
18240-400: The most successful drivers in the 86-year history of the event taking four wins each, while Ferrari has been the most successful constructor with fourteen victories. Teams in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season. A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship. Manufacturers in bold are competing in
18400-518: The next few years. Lex Davison , who for several years would experiment with sports car engines in smaller Formula 2 chassis, took his first of four victories in a Jaguar engined Formula 2 HWM in 1954 , while the previous year Whiteford won his third and final Grand Prix as for the first time racing cars thundered around the streets surrounding the Albert Park Lake in inner Melbourne . That circuit, which for four brief years gave Australia
18560-534: The next great era of the Grand Prix. The growing influence of engineer-drivers Jack Brabham and a couple of years behind him New Zealander Bruce McLaren would transform the race. Brabham, who first won the Grand Prix in 1955 in a Cooper T40 Bristol he had brought home from his first foray into English racing, would test new developments for Cooper during the European winter, beginning a flood of Cooper-Climax Grand Prix machinery into Australia and New Zealand before Brabham started building his own cars , as well as
18720-651: The operational system of possible threat actors. Following an August 2023 freedom-of-information ruling by the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner which stated that that disclosure was important for “transparency and accountability”, in September 2024, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation went to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to fight an order to reveal how it counts crowds for
18880-460: The pit lane wall moved two metres closer to the circuit so that the edge of the circuit sat directly next to the wall. The 2022 Grand Prix saw Ferrari's Charles Leclerc achieve his first career grand slam , having started in pole position , set the fastest lap , led every lap, and won the race ahead of Red Bull's Sergio Pérez and Mercedes' George Russell . It was the first grand slam for an individual Ferrari driver since Fernando Alonso 's at
19040-412: The plans were well received by all of the teams, Holden Motorsport boss Simon McNamara warned potential new manufacturers to stay out of the championship just hours after the plans were released, claiming that they would "gain nothing" from entering the series. Major changes were revealed to include a switch from a live rear axle to independent rear suspension ; the use of a rear transaxle instead of
19200-524: The psychological dominance F1 had exuded over the Brazilian meant that he was known to take chances that most other drivers would not. Going down the Brabham straight on lap 13, Senna came up behind Briton Martin Brundle's Brabham-Judd, and Brundle decided to move over to let Senna pass. But Senna was blinded by thick spray; and the Brazilian did not lift off, causing him to hit the back of Brundle's car, tearing off his front left wheel and suspension and resulting in
19360-445: The race's end at the chicane after the pits) and Riccardo Patrese finished fifth. This race held the record of being the shortest ever Formula One race as it only lasted 52 kilometres (33 miles)/24 minutes. It would eventually be surpassed by the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix , which lasted three laps, but was classified after only one official lap. Triple World Champion Nelson Piquet, who finished fifth, retired from Grand Prix racing following
19520-473: The race. 1992 saw Senna drive very hard to try to stay with new world champion Mansell's dominant Williams; this ended in Senna running into the back of Mansell at the last corner. Mansell retired from Formula One and went to compete in CART in the United States; Senna's teammate Gerhard Berger won the race. 1993 saw Senna win what was to be his 41st and final victory and final race for McLaren ahead of Alain Prost, who
19680-413: The race. The circuit was still being hammered by rain and was covered by water, but the drivers, including Prost relented and eventually they started. But an unconvinced Prost came in after one lap and withdrew; and Senna- who was still in an awful mental state from the previous race, immediately began driving as fast as he could. By the end of the first lap, due to Pierluigi Martini's slow Minardi holding up
19840-451: The record with 444,631 attendees, and would also break a Formula One record; the race, which ended with twelve cars left running, is the first ever to have three red flags throughout the session. This came after a chaotic race that saw many incidents; the Formula 2 and Formula 3 races, held the same weekend, had a similar outcome. The 2024 Australian Grand Prix , won by Carlos Sainz Jr. ,
20000-484: The restart, ensured the first race in Melbourne gained widespread coverage. The race was won by Williams's Damon Hill . The 1997 race saw McLaren , through David Coulthard , break a drought of 50 races without a victory. The next year was a McLaren benefit, with Mika Häkkinen and Coulthard lapping the entire field en route to a dominant 1–2 finish. The result was clouded by controversy when Coulthard pulled over with two laps remaining to allow Häkkinen to win, honouring
20160-421: The results of the race. 2010 again saw Button win at Melbourne. Starting from fourth, he gambled on an early change to slick tires under drying conditions that let him move up to second place after losing several positions at the start. Sebastian Vettel retired with mechanical issues after qualifying on pole and leading until his retirement, handing Button the victory. The 2011 race saw Vettel take victory in
20320-607: The revitalised facilities. Opponents of holding the race in the park point out that the Aquatic Centre adds nothing to the Grand Prix, is effectively closed for weeks surrounding the event and could have been built independent of the car race. Bernie Ecclestone , the then president of Formula One Management , the group that runs modern-day Formula One in conjunction with the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile ( FIA ), once famously said that it took 10 minutes to do
20480-449: The road but after political discussions was disqualified for cutting the chicane before the pit straight at Suzuka; the repercussions of which dawned on the race. McLaren had decided to appeal Senna's disqualification; so Senna still had a chance of winning the championship. The race was delayed for sometime and there were discussions about whether the race should be started. Senna qualified on pole position, and had every intention of starting
20640-615: The road car, while the windscreen is replaced by a polycarbonate unit. The cars also carry cameras for broadcasting. The bodies are built around a chassis provided by official accredited builders, including certain race teams. Currently, Triple Eight Race Engineering homologate the Chevrolet Camaro and Dick Johnson Racing homologate the Ford Mustang . The new for 2026 Toyota GR Supra will be homologaged by Walkinshaw Andretti United . Many safety features are utilised to protect
20800-512: The same event the team got their best qualifying result of third on the grid. Later on in the season the team announced their plans to recruit Greg Murphy for the following 2007 Season. 2007 saw the début of the VE Commodore in V8 Supercars and the team opening a base in New Zealand . Championship wise the team finished 13th and 14th with Murphy and Richards respectively and both nearly stole
20960-414: The same front splitter shortly afterwards, but the Falcon's rear wing remained trimmed. Ford had threatened to withdraw from the series, but nothing came of this. After Holden again dominated in 2001 and 2002, a new set of regulations, dubbed "Project Blueprint", was introduced in 2003 to close the performance gap between the Commodore and the Falcon, thus creating closer, fairer racing. Project Blueprint
21120-584: The series. This set the foundation for the large expansion of the series during the following years. The category also adopted the name 'V8 Supercars' at this time, though the cars themselves were much unchanged. A new television deal with Network Ten and Fox Sports was organised, although this had follow-on effects for the Bathurst 1000 later in the year. In February, Tony Cochrane and James Erskine left IMG. Together with David Coe, they formed Sports and Entertainment Limited (SEL) in April 1997. TEGA would have
21280-550: The start, leading the field over the line after the safety car had been deployed with three laps remaining following a crash between Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica , who had been fighting for second place. This promoted Button's teammate, fellow Brawn GP driver Rubens Barrichello, to second, marking a historic 1-2 for the team. Toyota's Jarno Trulli was given a 25-second penalty for passing Lewis Hamilton for third place under yellow flags during that safety car period, which promoted Hamilton into that position. However, Hamilton
21440-473: The strongest taste of the grandeur surrounding European Grand Prix racing, was 40 years later very much modified, used to host the 1996 Australian Grand Prix as the modern Formula One world championship venue. Jack Brabham took his first of three AGP wins in 1955 at the short Port Wakefield Circuit in South Australia . The race is significant in that Brabham was driving a Bristol powered Cooper T40 ,
21600-464: The technical parity mechanisms enshrined in the Rules.". However, the rules go on to state that "The Category is not about equalisation of the abilities of participating Drivers and/or Teams (such equalisation could be, and is in some categories, defined as sporting parity). It is up to individual Drivers and/or Teams to Compete to the best of their abilities under the principle of technical parity." Parity
21760-549: The tenth running of the event at Albert Park in 2005, Webber drove his Williams F1 car over the Sydney Harbour Bridge in a promotional event, and the Melbourne city streets hosted a parade of F1 machinery and Supercars , Australia's highest-profile domestic motor sport category. For over thirty years, Supercars have competed in the Supercars Challenge non-championship event at the Australian Grand Prix. In 2018 ,
21920-463: The two faster Williams cars of Belgian Thierry Boutsen and Italian Riccardo Patrese , Senna was an astonishing nine seconds ahead of Martini; the Williams cars soon passed Martini but by the end of the third lap, Senna was 23 seconds ahead of second-placed Boutsen. Yet even with such a huge lead which he extended even further, Senna continued to push very hard- taking very daring chances even for himself;
22080-513: The unimproved conditions, with the race called after it reached the two-hour time limit. 1990 was the 500th World Championship Grand Prix ever held; and it came after yet more controversial events at Suzuka. Senna had crashed into Prost at the very first corner on the first lap of the race; and he won the Drivers' Championship for the second time. The Australian Grand Prix that year was an incredibly exciting race: Senna led for 61 laps, but crashed near
22240-508: The use of two-door coupé body styles and turbocharged four- or six-cylinder engines. However, no teams elected to build cars to these alternate engine specifications. Cars were still required to be based on front-engined, rear-wheel drive, four-seater production cars that were sold in Australia. The chassis and control components were carried over from the New Generation V8 Supercar regulations, while engine and aerodynamic parity
22400-566: The violently veering car and steered it to a safe stop. Prost took the lead, as Mansell's teammate Piquet had pitted as a pre-cautionary measure, and the Frenchman won the race and the championship. Prost had to fight back after a mid-race puncture, and stopped soon after the finish so as not to waste fuel, something he had done at every race he finished since his disqualification from the 1985 San Marino Grand Prix for being underweight after his McLaren ran out of fuel on his slow down lap after crossing
22560-507: Was all after Richards was still recovering after he had one of V8 Supercar's biggest ever accidents at Queensland Raceway barrel rolling at least 6 times after a tag from Paul Morris . 2006 saw improved pace with drivers Jason Richards and Andrew Jones . Armed with many sponsors for the year, including Firepower, SEW Eurodrive and Sleepyhead Bedding, Tasman Motorsport won their first V8 race, with Jason Richards at Winton Motor Raceway in June. At
22720-580: Was also the 15th win and 15th pole in 16 races in a season of total dominance for McLaren-Honda, a domination not seen before or since in Formula One. 1989 was hit by a deluge of rain and the drivers, notably Prost, did not want to start the race because of the very wet conditions, particularly on the Brabham straight. This event came after controversial events 2 weeks before at the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, where Prost had crashed into his hated teammate Senna, and Senna got going again and finished 1st on
22880-418: Was always the last event in the Formula One calendar – but from 1996 onwards, it has usually been the first event or was held early in the season. Albert Park, within easy reach of the Melbourne central business district, became home to the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. A 16-turn circuit, which measures 5.3 km (3.3 mi) in its current guise, it was built utilising a combination of public roads and
23040-404: Was announced that the Grand Prix would still take place, but without spectators, however two hours before the first practice started the event was cancelled. In June 2022, Melbourne's contract to host the Australian Grand Prix, which was due to expire in 2025, was extended to 2035. The new contract stipulates that the Australian Grand Prix will be one of the first three rounds of the season over
23200-550: Was competing in his final Formula One race in a Williams before he too retired. Senna embraced his once extremely bitter rival Prost on the podium. It was announced around this time that the Australian Grand Prix would be moving to Melbourne for 1996. The 1994 was to see yet another memorable weekend. Following his win at the Japanese Grand Prix , Damon Hill was now one point behind championship leader Michael Schumacher . Nigel Mansell , returning to Formula One in place of
23360-638: Was designed partly with this in mind, to give the new cars a better chance of beating the Nissan Skyline GT-Rs in those races. The new rules meant that cars such as the turbocharged Nissan Skyline GT-R and Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth were not eligible to compete in 1993, while cars such as the BMW M3 were. However, the M3 received few of the liberal concessions given to the new V8s and also had an extra 100 kilograms (220 lb) added to its minimum weight, so with
23520-402: Was developed by Paul Taylor and Wayne Cattach, who spent two years designing a formula which would eliminate most of the differences between the Fords and Holdens. Project Blueprint had the chassis pick-up points, wheelbase , track , and driving position become common across both manufacturers. The Holdens were now able and required to use double-wishbone front suspension, similar to that of
23680-426: Was granted a new front and rear wing package. The BMWs were also allowed new splitters and full DTM-specification rear wings. Disparity between the Fords and Holdens continued to be a talking point during the next few years, with various concessions given to each manufacturer to try to equalise the two cars. From 1995 , the 2.0-litre cars, now contesting their own series as super touring cars , became ineligible for
23840-460: Was held, at the Lobethal Circuit near the South Australian town of Lobethal in 1939 , before the country was plunged into World War II . In the immediate post-war era, racing was sparse with competitors using pre-war cars with supplies cobbled together around the rationing of fuel and tyres. Mount Panorama held the first post-war Grand Prix in 1947 , beginning a rotational system between
24000-450: Was intended to be a precursor to the series holding a championship event at the circuit in 2016, in a push from CEO James Warburton to build series exposure in Asia. The event was later cancelled due to legal issues affecting the circuit. In December 2014, Supercars released details concerning the future of the category. New regulations, dubbed Gen2 Supercar, were introduced in 2017 to allow
24160-521: Was introduced in an effort to improve the environmental image of the sport. Carbon dioxide emissions decreased by up to 50%, but fuel consumption was increased by 30% to produce the same power as before. 2009 also had the introduction of a soft compound tyre at certain events to try to improve the quality of the racing and create different strategies. In 2005, AVESCO changed its name to V8 Supercars Australia (VESA). The series continued to expand during this time, with races held outside of Australasia for
24320-437: Was later disqualified and docked his points for "deliberately misleading stewards", with Trulli reinstated in third. The results earned by Brawn , Williams , and Toyota were awarded, despite an appeal being held two weeks later against a ruling on the legality of the teams' diffuser design. The outcome of the appeal was in favour of the teams, their diffusers were declared legal under the new rules and there were no changes to
24480-419: Was notable for breaking numerous attendance records. The event sold out for the first time in its history, and set a new attendance record at the circuit for the weekend with 452,055 spectators, making it the most attended sporting event ever in Melbourne , and the fourth highest attended Formula One Grand Prix of all time, following the 1995 edition of the race , held in Adelaide , with 520,000 attendees, and
24640-414: Was organised by V8 Supercars to investigate future directions for the sport. The project had the primary objective of cutting costs to $ 250,000 per car through the use of control parts and to create a pathway for new manufacturers to enter the series, provided that they have a four-door saloon car in mass production. The new formula, called "Car of the Future", was scheduled to be introduced before or during
24800-453: Was pointed by Doug Whiteford racing a newly imported Talbot-Lago Formula One car to victory. Grand Prix machinery had already been filtering through in the shape of older Maserati and OSCAs and smaller Coopers but had yet to prove to be superior to the locally developed cars. The end of the Australian "specials" was coming, but the magnificent Maybach -based series of specials driven exuberantly by Stan Jones would give many hope for
24960-564: Was reviewed In April 2016, the series reached an agreement with Virgin Australia to rename the series to the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship on 1 July. For the 2021 season, this changed to the Repco Supercars Championship on a 5-year deal, extended to an 8-year deal at the end of 2022. After being first announced in 2020, and after being delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
25120-408: Was revived in 1938 for the grand opening of what would become one of the world's most famous race tracks, Mount Panorama just outside the semi-rural town of Bathurst . Only just completed, with a tar seal for the circuit still a year away, the race was won by Englishman Peter Whitehead racing a new voiturette ERA B-Type that was just too fast for the locally developed machinery. One more race
25280-430: Was solely responsible for the administration of the category. The new board of directors was composed of four TEGA representatives, two members from SEL and two independent directors. In 2011, TEGA and SEL entered a sale agreement with Australian Motor Racing Partners (AMRP), which had significant financial backing from Archer Capital . This agreement saw SEL lose its 25% stake in V8 Supercars, with Archer Capital taking up
25440-521: Was still disgusted and angry did not wish to appear in the photos with Senna following their controversial first corner crash in the previous race in Japan which gave the 1990 World Championship to Senna. The 1991 race was notable for being held in extremely wet and tricky conditions and the race was eventually stopped after 14 of the scheduled 82 laps and Ayrton Senna was declared the winner. Prost had been fired from Ferrari for making unsavory comments about
25600-446: Was the opening event of the season, the 2022 Australian Grand Prix was instead the third event of the season. In the months before the Grand Prix, in consultation with drivers, the circuit underwent several significant revisions, which were the first and most significant changes since the inaugural 1996 Australian Grand Prix , including the first track resurfacing since then. Turns 9 and 10 were completely redesigned; where they formed
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