Winton Motor Raceway

Summary

Winton Motor Raceway is a motor racing track in Winton, near Benalla, Victoria, Australia.

Winton Motor Raceway
National Circuit (1997–present)
LocationWinton, Victoria
Coordinates36°31′6″S 146°5′15″E / 36.51833°S 146.08750°E / -36.51833; 146.08750
FIA Grade3[a]
OwnerBenalla Auto Club
Broke groundNovember 1960; 63 years ago (1960-11)
Opened26 November 1961; 62 years ago (1961-11-26)
Major eventsFormer:
Supercars Championship
Winton SuperSprint (1985–1986, 1988–1995, 1997–2004, 2006–2019, 2022)
S5000 (2023)
TCR Australia (2019, 2023)
Australian GT (1982–1985, 2011–2012, 2016–2017)
Australian F4 (2018)
National Circuit (1997–present)
Length3.000 km (1.864 miles)
Turns12
Race lap record1:14.3058 (Australia John Magro, Dallara F311, 2019, F3)
Original Club Circuit (1961–present)
Length2.028 km (1.260 miles)
Turns10
Race lap record0:52.9900 (Australia Mark Larkham, Reynard 90D, 1992, Formula Brabham)

History edit

The Benalla Auto Club began planning for a permanent racing track around 1958, as a replacement for their existing track at Barjarg.[1] In 1960 it was decided to build the track at Winton Recreation Reserve and the track was completed in twelve months. The circuit hosted its first race meeting on 26 November 1961.[2] The circuit was immediately popular - a March 1965 meeting featuring the Neptune touring car and the Victorian Formula Two championship drew a crowd of approximately 10,000 spectators.[1] The circuit length was extended prior to the 1997 round of the V8 Supercar championship and the upgrade included a new pit complex.

The circuit edit

Winton Motor Raceway has a combination of long fast straights and twisty and tight bends. It is also known as "Australia's Action Track".[3] Dick Johnson once described the circuit being "like running a marathon around your clothes-line".

The original circuit (now called the Winton Club Circuit) is 2.028 km (1.260 mi) in length and comprises 10 turns. The circuit was lengthened to 3.000 km (1.864 mi) with the cars turning left prior to the esses and a series of right hand turns added before the extension rejoins the original track at the esses. The long circuit is called the Winton National Circuit.

Layouts edit

V8 Supercars edit

The track was used as a round in the V8 Supercar series, hosting the Winton SuperSprint. The track was one of the more popular tracks in the series with spectators, especially those who live in the area.[citation needed] Easy access to the track and viewing areas made it very popular.[citation needed] It attracts some of the biggest crowds of any of the permanent race tracks in the series.[citation needed]

Although the circuit held various rounds of national championships such as the Australian Drivers' Championship and the Australian Sports Car Championship, Winton was not awarded a round of the Australian Touring Car Championship until the start of the Group A era in Australia in 1985. The first ATCC race was won by then triple-Bathurst 1000 winner Jim Richards in his JPS Team BMW 635 CSi. That race holds its place in ATCC/V8 Supercar history as not only the first all-Group A race in Australia, but the first ATCC win by BMW and the only race in history in which there were no Holdens on the grid.

Richards holds the record for most ATCC round wins at Winton with four, having won in 1985 and 1986 for BMW, while winning in 1990 and 1991 for Nissan.

Australian Drivers' Championship edit

Winton has played host to 19 rounds of the Australian Drivers' Championship since 1980.

Year Driver Car Entrant
Australian Formula 1
1980   Alfredo Costanzo Lola T430 Porsche Distributors
1982   Alfredo Costanzo Tiga FA81 Porsche Cars Australia
1983   Alfredo Costanzo Tiga FA81 Porsche Cars Australia
Formula Mondial
1984   John Bowe Ralt RT4 Chris Leach Racing
1986   Ken Smith Ralt RT4 Watson Motor Racing Pty Ltd
Formula Holden
1989*   Rohan Onslow Ralt RT20 R.J.Macarthur Onslow
1989*   John Briggs Ralt RT21 John Briggs
1990   John Briggs Ralt RT21 John Briggs
Formula Brabham
1992   Mark Larkham Reynard 90D Larkham Motor Sport
1994   Paul Stokell Reynard 90D Birrana Racing
Formula Holden
1997   Jason Bargwanna Reynard 92D SH Racing
1999   Simon Wills Reynard 94D SH Racing
2000   Tim Leahey Reynard 92D Greg Murphy Racing
2001   Paul Stokell Reynard 94D Birrana Racing
2002   Will Power Reynard 94D Ralt Australia
2003   Paul Trengove Reynard 95D CPA Australia
2004   Rob Nguyen Reynard 97D Hocking Motorsport
Australian Formula 3
2009**   Tim Macrow
  Joey Foster
Dallara F307 Scud Racing
Team BRM
2011   James Winslow Dallara F304 R-Tek Motorsport

* The 1989 Australian Drivers' Championship was contested over ten rounds at five race meetings at five different tracks. Although the races were held on the same day both Rohan Onslow and John Briggs are credited with separate round wins.
**The 2009 round saw two heats. Tim Macrow and Joey Foster each won a heat while also finished second on the other heat giving the pair equal points (35) on the day.

Australian Sports Car Championship edit

Winton played host to a round of the Australian Sports Car Championship on 7 occasions between 1978 and 1985.

Year Driver Car Entrant
1978   Ross Mathiesen Porsche Carrera Ross Mathiesen
1979   Ross Mathiesen Porsche Carrera Ross Mathiesen
1980   Allan Moffat Porsche 930 Turbo Porsche Distributors
1981   John Latham Porsche 930 Turbo John Latham
1983   Bap Romano Kaditcha K583 Cosworth Kaditcha Factory Racing Team
1984   Bap Romano Romano WE84 Cosworth Bap Romano Racing
1985   Terry Hook Lola T610 Terry Hook

Australian Sports Sedan / GT Championship edit

1980, 1981, 1997, 1998 and 2003 were run for Sports Sedans. 1982–1985 were run for GT style cars.

Year Driver Car Entrant
1980   Jim Richards Ford XC Falcon Hardtop Jim Richards
1981   Tony Edmondson Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV Chevrolet Donald Elliott
1982   Alan Jones Porsche 935/80 Porsche Cars Australia
1983   Tony Edmondson Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV Chevrolet Donald Elliott
1984   Allan Grice Chevrolet Monza Re-Car Racing
1985   Kevin Bartlett De Tomaso Pantera Paul Halstead / The Toy Shop
1997   Wayne Park Mazda RX-7 Wayne Park
1998   Tony Ricciardello Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV Chevrolet Basil Ricciardello
2003   Darren Hossack Saab 9-3 Aero Chevrolet Darren Hossack

Australian Nations Cup Championship edit

Year Driver Car Entrant
2002   Paul Stokell Lamborghini Diablo GTR Team Lamborghini Australia
2003   Nathan Pretty Holden Monaro 427C Garry Rogers Motorsport
2004   Nathan Pretty Holden Monaro 427C Garry Rogers Motorsport

Australian Superbike Championship edit

Winton Raceway is one of the most prominent Superbike races on the Australian Superbike Championship racing calendar. Winton Raceway has seen riders such as Mick Doohan, Kevin Magee and Mat Mladin ride regularly at the venue.

Year Rider Bike
2007   Jamie Stauffer Yamaha YZF-R1
2006   Jamie Stauffer Yamaha YZF-R1

Formula X-treme Motorcycle Championship

Year Rider Bike
2009   Craig Coxhell Honda CBR1000RR
2010   Kevin Curtain Yamaha YZF-R1

Drift Attack edit

Winton Raceway is one of Australia's most popular Drift circuits. It hosts Australia largest drift event Drift Attack. Drift Attack is promoted by the Victorian Drift Club and offers the largest Prize Pool in Australian Drifting and is contested by Australia's 32 best Drifters in the Pro class and 32 Drivers in the street class.

Year Driver Car
2009 Luke Fink S14 Silvia
2010 Josh Coote Nissan 180SX

Lap records edit

As of June 2023, the official race lap records at Winton Motor Raceway are listed as:[4][5]

Class Driver Vehicle Time Date
National Circuit: 3.000 km (1997–present)
Formula 3   John Magro Dallara F311 1:14.3058[6] 10 March 2019
Formula Holden   Christian Murchison Reynard 95D 1:14.5697[4] 16 July 2000
S5000   Joey Mawson Ligier JS F3-S5000 1:18.1659[7] 11 June 2023
Sports Sedan   Jordan Caruso Audi A4 1:18.8794 21 May 2022
Superbike   Troy Herfoss Honda CBR1000RR 1:19.274[8] 14 March 2021
Supercars Championship   Fabian Coulthard Ford FG X Falcon 1:19.7092[4] 21 May 2016
GT3   Jake Fouracre Audi R8 LMS GT3 1:20.4298[9][4] 10 June 2017
Formula 4   Jayden Ojeda Mygale M14-F4 1:20.6106[10] 2 September 2018
Porsche Carrera Cup   Callum Hedge Porsche 911 (992) GT3 Cup 1:20.7969[11] 21 May 2022
Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge   Simon Fallon Porsche 911 (991) GT3 Cup 1:21.6518 2 September 2018
Supersport   Tom Edwards Yamaha YZF-R6 1:21.872[8] 14 March 2021
V8 Touring Car National Series   Taz Douglas Holden VE Commodore 1:23.3446[4] 22 May 2016
Super2 Series   Steve Owen Ford FG Falcon 1:23.7669 5 April 2014
Nations Cup   Paul Stokell Lamborghini Diablo GTR 1:23.8403 21 September 2003
TCR Touring Car   Will Brown Hyundai i30 N TCR 1:24.372[12] 1 September 2019
Trans-Am Australia   Brett Holdsworth Chevrolet Camaro 1:24.5162[13] 10 June 2023
Formula Ford (Duratec)   James Piszcyk Mygale SJ13 1:24.7731 22 May 2022
Super Touring   Jim Richards Volvo S40 1:25.3181[14][4] 9 August 1998
Formula Ford (Kent)   Jamie Whincup Van Diemen RF01 1:26.2188[15][4] 18 August 2002
Touring Car Masters   John Bowe Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 1:28.0049[4] 22 May 2016
Sidecar   Corey Turner/  Danyon Turner Suzuki LCR 1:29.112[8] 13 March 2021
Supersport 300   Carter Thompson Yamaha YZF-R3 1:30.604[8] 13 March 2021
Aussie Racing Cars   Tom Hayman Mustang-Yamaha 1:31.2640 21 May 2022
Moto3   Dylan Whiteside Honda NSF250R 1:32.543[8] 2 October 2016
Formula Vee   Blaine Grills Sabre 02 1:32.6485[4] 4 September 2016
GT Performance   Bob Pearson Mazda RX-7 Series 8 1:32.6533[4] 21 September 2003
F2 Sidecar   Terry Goldie/  Jamie Crass LCR - Honda CBR600RR 1:33.757 30 April 2017
Porsche 944   Cameron Beller Porsche 944 1:33.9462 2 September 2018
SuperUtes (V8)   David Sieders Mitsubishi Triton 1:34.4853 22 May 2022
V8 Ute Racing Series   Kim Jane Holden VE SS Ute 1:35.2253 21 May 2016
Motor Events   John Bermingham BMW E36 328 1:38.9840 15 May 2021
24 Hours of Lemons   John Bermingham BMW E36 328 1:40.4680 27 April 2019
SuperUtes (Diesel)   Tom Alexander Holden Colorado 1:42.9017 20 May 2018
Original Club Circuit: 2.028 km (1961–present)
Formula Brabham   Mark Larkham Reynard 90D 0.52.99 4 April 1992
Formula Mondial   John Bowe Ralt RT4 0.53.80 12 August 1984
Formula X1 Hyper Racer   Dean Crooke Hyper Racer X1 0.54.91 10 July 2022
Formula 5000   Alfredo Costanzo Lola T430 0.55.80 October 1979
Formula 2   Arthur Abrahams Cheetah Mk 8 0.56.96 December 1988
Group A Sports Cars (Under 3-Litre)   Bap Romano Kaditcha K583 Cosworth 0.57.10 14 August 1983
Group A Sports Cars (Over 3-Litre)   Peter Hopwood Kaditcha Chevrolet 0.57.40 14 August 1983
Sports Sedan   Tony Edmondson Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV 0.58.80 12 August 1984
Group 5   Alan Jones Porsche 935/80 0.59.00 16 May 1982
Clubman   Grant Taylor Galloway 0.59.60 December 1987
Group 3A Touring Car   Glenn Seton Ford EB Falcon 0.59.65 16 May 1993
Superbikes   Kirk McCarthy Honda RVF750 RC45 1:00.7655 May 1995
Super Touring   Geoff Brabham BMW 318is 1:00.972[16] 25 August 1996
Formula Ford   John Blanchard Swift SC92F 1:01.18 5 April 1992
Group A   Mark Skaife Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R 1:01.56 5 April 1992
GT Production   Peter Fitzgerald Porsche 911 RSCS 1:02.3751 25 August 1996
Porsche 944   Chris Lewis-Williams Porsche 944 1:05.0137 4 December 2016
Formula Vee   Adrian Wilkinson Elfin 76 1:07.01 March 1996
Group 3E Series Production Cars   Terry Bosnjak Holden VP Commodore 1:09.42 16 May 1993

Notes edit

  1. ^ Winton Motor Raceway's Grade 3 licence expired 1 June 2022.

References edit

  1. ^ a b Walker, Terry. Fast Tracks - Australia's Motor Racing Circuits: 1904–1995. Wahroonga, NSW: Turton & Armstrong. p. 184. ISBN 0908031556.
  2. ^ Winton celebrates 50th birthday today Retrieved from www.speedcafe.com on 27 November 2011
  3. ^ "Winton Motor Raceway, Victoria". v8supercars.com.au. n.d. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Winton Lap Records". Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Natsoft Race Results - Winton". Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  6. ^ "AMRS WRAP: Magro breaks lap record in F3 round win". Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  7. ^ "2023 SpeedSeries Winton Race 3 Statistics". Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Winton Motor Raceway Motorcycle Lap Records" (PDF). Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  9. ^ "Australian Trophy Winton 2017". Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  10. ^ "Suhle the consistent in six race Australian F4 round at Winton". Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  11. ^ "Round 2, 2022: Winton". Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  12. ^ "TCR AU 2019 » Winton Motor Raceway Round 15 Results". Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  13. ^ "2023 Trans-Am Australia Winton Race 1 Results". 10 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  14. ^ "ASTC 1998 » Winton Motor Raceway Round 14 Results". Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  15. ^ "Australian Formula Ford Lap Records". Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  16. ^ "WASTC 1996 » Winton Motor Raceway Round 9 Results". Retrieved 18 June 2022.

External links edit

  • Official raceway website
  • Map and circuit history at RacingCircuits.info