The National Sports Sedans Series, formerly the Australian Sports Sedan Championship, is a Motorsport Australia-sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of cars complying with Australian Sports Sedan regulations. This class, essentially a silhouette racing car class, permits three types of cars:
Purpose-built steel spaceframe racing cars with bodywork resembling a production car sold in Australia Cars based on production street car bodies. Purpose-built race cars constructed for the American Trans-Am Series.
Beyond these basic requirements, there are relatively few restrictions on engines, drivetrains, aerodynamics, or other performance-enhancing components.
The relatively relaxed regulations mean that Sports Sedans are the fastest domestic "tin-top" racing series in Australia. At circuits such as Mount Panorama, Queensland Raceway, Phillip Island, the Sports Sedan lap record is at least a second, and usually several seconds, faster than Supercars, despite the latter being a fully professional series generally regarded as featuring Australia's best local drivers.
The category emerged following the replacement of Appendix J Touring Cars by the more restricted Group C Improved Production Touring Cars at the end of 1964.James Cockington, Evolution of the Sports Sedan, Musclemania magazine, 2012, pages 40 & 41 Promoters of circuits such as Winton and Oran Park then allowed the redundant Appendix J cars to run with Sports Cars under the name Sports Racing Closed. By 1966 cars were competing with extensive modifications, often including engine swaps. By 1971 restrictions were placed on bodywork modifications ensuring that the original silhouette of the car had to be maintained.Mark Oastler, A New Direction, Australian Muscle Car magazine, Issue 25, page 43 The term Sports Sedans had been in common usage for the carsStewart Wilson, Holden Racing History, 1988, page 130 and in 1973 CAMS gave the name official recognition when it introduced Group B Sports Sedans as a new racing classification.Pedr Davis, The Macquarie Dictionary of Motoring, 1986, page 452 The category officially became Group 2D Sports Sedans in 1988,1988 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 5 and Group 3D Sports Sedans in 2000.2000 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 7-1
An Australia-wide championship was run each year from 1976 to 1981. It was discontinued for 1982 with the introduction of an Australian GT Championship, although Sports Sedans were invited to compete in this new series, which many did as it was the only national series their cars were eligible for, but the older Sports Sedans were generally un-competitive against the new GT cars such as the Porsche 935 or the converted Chevrolet Monzas. While the power of the top Sports Sedans, which generally ran 5.0L or 6.0L Chevrolet V8 engines, was not far shy of the GT cars, the Sports Sedans were restricted to running 10" wheels while the GT cars such as the 935's were allowed up to 18" of rubber. This gave the GT cars far greater stability and enabled them to go much faster through turns. The Sports Sedan category itself was retained for state level racing. The Australian Sports Sedan Championship title was revived in 1991 and was contested annually through to 2003. Each championship was decided over a series of races, with the exception of the 1994 title, which was contested over two races at one meeting at Sandown Raceway in Victoria.
A National Series for Sports Sedans replaced the Australian Sports Sedan Championship for 2004Sporting Regulations for the 2004 Transzam Sports Sedan Series and has been included in the CAMS Nationals Racing Championships (now known as the Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships) since its inception in 2006.Official Programme, CAMS National Racing Championships, Round 5, Mallala, 24–25 June 2006
List of champions
Winners of the Australian Sports Sedan Championship are shown below.
Year Champion Vehicle 1976 Allan Moffat Chevrolet MonzaFord Capri RS3100 1977 Frank Gardner Chevrolet Corvair 1978 Allan Grice Chevrolet Corvair 1979 Allan Grice Chevrolet Corvair 1980 Tony Edmondson Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV-Repco Holden 1981 Tony Edmondson Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV-Chevrolet Not held 1991 Greg Crick Honda Prelude-Chevrolet 1992 Kerry Baily Toyota Celica Supra-Chevrolet 1993 Kerry Baily Toyota Celica Supra-Chevrolet 1994 Brian Smith Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV-Chevrolet 1995 Cameron McLean BMW M3 1996 John Briggs Honda Prelude-Chevrolet 1997 Kerry Baily Toyota Celica Supra-Chevrolet 1998 Tony Ricciardello Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV-Chevrolet 1999 Tony Ricciardello Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV-Chevrolet 2000 Kerry Baily Nissan 300ZX-Chevrolet 2001 Tony Ricciardello Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV-Chevrolet 2002 Tony Ricciardello Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV-Chevrolet 2003 Kerry Baily Nissan 300ZX-Chevrolet
National Sports Sedan Series
A Sports Sedan series has been run each year from 2004, this being recognised by CAMS as a National Series rather than as an official Australian Championship. Each series has been open to cars built to American Trans-Am or New Zealand TraNZam rules as well as cars complying with CAMS Group 3D Sports Sedan regulations.
Series winners have been :
Series Winner Vehicle 2004 Tranzam Sports Sedan Series Darren Hossack Saab 9-3-Chevrolet 2005 Tranzam Sports Sedan Series Tony Ricciardello Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV-Chevrolet 2006 Kerrick Sports Sedan Series Dean Randle Saab 9-3-Chevrolet 2007 Kerrick Sports Sedan Series Tony Ricciardello Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV-Chevrolet 2008 Kerrick Sports Sedan Series Darren Hossack Audi A4-Chevrolet 2009 Kerrick Sports Sedan Series Des Wall Chevrolet Corvette-Chevrolet 2010 Kerrick Sports Sedan Series James Sera Saab 9-3-Chevrolet 2011 Kerrick Sports Sedan Series Tony Ricciardello Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV-Chevrolet 2012 Kerrick Sports Sedan Series Kerry Baily Aston Martin DBR9-Chevrolet 2013 Kerrick Sports Sedan Series Bruce Banks Chevrolet Camaro Mazda RX-7 turbo Chevrolet Corvette 2014 Kerrick Sports Sedan SeriesKerrick Sports Sedan Series - 2014 Pointscore, www.sportssedans.com.au, as archived at web.archive.org Tony Ricciardello Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV-Chevrolet 2015 Kerrick Sports Sedan Series Tony Ricciardello Alfa Romeo GTV-Chevrolet 2015 Kerrick Sports Sedan Series Tony Ricciardello Alfa Romeo GTV-Chevrolet 2016 Kerrick Sports Sedan Series Tony Ricciardello Alfa Romeo GTV-Chevrolet 2017 National Sports Sedan Series Birol Cetin Chevrolet Camaro 2018 National Sports Sedan Series Steven Tamasi Holden Calibra 2019 National Sports Sedan Series Tony Ricciardello Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV-Chevrolet 2020–21 Not held 2022 National Sports Sedan Series Jordan Caruso Audi A4-Chevrolet 2023 National Sports Sedan Series Tony Ricciardello Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV-Chevrolet 2024 National Sports Sedan Series Peter Ingram Mazda RX-7 2025 National Sports Sedan Series Steven Tamasi Holden Calibra
References
External links CAMS Manual of Motor Sport Current National Sports Sedan Series