Surfers Paradise International Raceway

Surfers Paradise International Raceway was a motor racing complex on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The long circuit was designed and built by Keith Williams, a motor racing enthusiast who also designed and built the Adelaide International Raceway in South Australia in 1972. It was located opposite the Surfers Paradise Ski Gardens at Carrara.

The circuit Surfers Paradise Raceway included a dragstrip along the main straight (a design later incorporated into the Williams owned Adelaide International Raceway), with a very fast right-hander under the Dunlop Bridge leading to a tight corner that turned the track back to a medium-length straight. Then a fast left hander before rushing into a series of rights and lefts that skirted the only hill on the property (commonly known as Repco Hill). A slow right called that opened up brought the track back to the main straight.

The right hand turn under the Dunlop Bridge was widely considered the fastest and most daunting corner in Australian motorsport until the building of the Chase chicane at the Mount Panorama Circuit in 1987, with many top drivers including Allan Moffat, John Harvey and Tony Edmondson all having crashed there over the years.

Within the circuit lay an airstrip and quarter-mile speedway similar to the one that used to sit within the lower part of the Amaroo Park circuit in Sydney. Drag racing commenced at Easter in 1966, with the June meet, the Winternationals, beginning in 1968. The Winternationals became the largest drag racing meet outside the United States.

Keith Williams sold the raceway in 1984, and the circuit closed at the end of 1987 after 21 years of operation, with the final meeting held on 27 August. The outright lap record of 1:04.3 was set in 1986 and was held by John Bowe driving a Chevrolet powered Veskanda C1 Group A/Group C sports car. In 1987 it was sold by Westmark Corporation for $8.5 million, double what it paid fot it nine months earlier.Paradise lost Auto Action issue 427 17 July 1987 page 1

The Winternationals moved to Willowbank Raceway in 1988, where the race continues to this day. After years of neglect, it was finally destroyed in 2003. The site has since been redeveloped as Emerald Lakes canal estate.

In 1993, after years of neglect, volunteers and police helped get the drag racing strip back to a usable state for "Operation: Drag" to stop hoon drag racing on streets. This involved the Blue Light foundation who helped run the event which was a $10 entry to drag race against someone else in a safe environment instead of on public roads.

Major races

Tasman Series With Lakeside well established as a Queensland's round of the Tasman Series it was not until 1968 that the series visited Surfers Paradise. As typified the 1968 series Jim Clark (Lotus Ford) and Chris Amon (Ferrari) filled the top two positions with Clark's teammate Graham Hill completing the podium. Formula 5000 Tasman Series rounds were also held at the circuit each year from 1970 to 1975.

Year Winner Car Entrant 1968 Jim Clark Lotus 49T Ford Team Lotus 1970 Graham McRae McLaren M10A Chevrolet 1971 Frank Matich McLaren M10B Repco Holden Rothmans Team Matich 1972 Graham McRae Leda GM1 Chevrolet Grid International (NZ) Ltd 1973 Frank Matich Matich A50 Repco Holden Frank Matich 1974 Teddy Pilette Chevron B24 Chevrolet Chevron Racing Team VDS 1975 Johnnie Walker Lola T332 Repco Holden Walker Racing

Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix visited just once, in 1975. In torrential rain Max Stewart took his Lola T400 Formula 5000 to victory from John Leffler, who was second on a day when the F5000's were badly out-handled by Ray Winter driving his AF2 Mildren Mono Ford.

Year Winner Car Entrant 1975 Max Stewart Lola T400 Chevrolet Max Stewart Motors

Rothmans International Series With the demise of the Tasman Series after 1976, the void was filled with the Rothmans International Series from 1976 to 1979. The first race scheduled for Surfers Paradise on 29 February 1976 was cancelled.

Year Winner Car Entrant 1976 Race Cancelled Race Cancelled Race Cancelled 1977 Warwick Brown Lola T430 Chevrolet Racing Team VDS 1978 Warwick Brown Lola T332 Chevrolet Racing Team VDS 1979 David Kennedy Wolf WR4 Ford Cosworth Theodore Racing

Australian Touring Car Championship The circuit hosted rounds of the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1969, 1971–72, 1974–77 and from 1979 until the circuits closure in 1987. Year Driver Car Entrant Improved Production1969 Norm BeecheyHolden HK Monaro GTS327Norm Beechey1971 Allan MoffatFord Boss 302 MustangTeam Coca-Cola AMR1972 Bob JaneChevrolet Camaro ZL-1Bob Jane Racing Group C1973 Peter BrockHolden LJ Torana GTR XU-1Holden Dealer Team1974 Peter BrockHolden LH Torana SL/R 5000Holden Dealer Team1975 Colin BondHolden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34Holden Dealer Team1976* Peter BrockHolden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34Bill Patterson Holden1977* Allan MoffatFord XC Falcon GS500 HardtopMoffat Ford Dealers1979 Bob MorrisHolden LX Torana A9X SS HatchbackChannel Seven1980 Peter BrockHolden VB CommodoreHolden Dealer Team1981 Dick JohnsonFord XD FalconDick Johnson Racing1982 Dick JohnsonFord XD FalconDick Johnson Racing1983 Allan MoffatMazda RX-7Allan Moffat Racing1984 Dick JohnsonFord XE FalconDick Johnson Racing Group A1985 Jim RichardsBMW 635 CSiJPS Team BMW1986 Peter BrockHolden Commodore VKHolden Dealer Team1987 Jim RichardsBMW M3JPS Team BMW * The 1976 and 1977 ATCC rounds at Surfers were the Rothmans 300 endurance races

Endurance races Numerous endurance races were staged at the circuit, most notably the Rothmans 12 Hour events. Event Winning drivers Winning car Date Category 1966 Rothmans 12 Hour International Sports Car Race Jackie StewartAndrew Buchanan Ferrari 250LM 21 August 1966 Group A Sports Cars 1967 Surfers Paradise Four Hour Kevin BartlettDoug Chivas Alfa Romeo Giulia Super 9 April 1967 Production cars 1967 Rothmans 12 Hour Bill BrownGreg Cusack Ferrari 250LM 3 September 1967 Group A Sports Cars 1968 Surfers Paradise 4 Hour John French Alfa Romeo GTV 9 June 1968 Production cars 1968 Surfers Paradise 6 Hour Leo GeogheganIan Geoghegan Ferrari 250LM 1 August 1968 Group A Sports Cars 1969 Rothmans 12 Hour Classic Bill GatesJohn Bertram Ford XT Falcon GT 5 January 1969 Production cars 1969 Chevron Surfers Paradise 6 Hour Kunimitsu TakahashiYoshikayo Sunago Nissan R380A-III 2 November 1969 Group A Sports Cars etc. 1970 Rothmans 12 Hour Colin BondTony Roberts Holden HT Monaro GTS350 4 January 1970 Production cars 1970 Rothmans 250 Production Classic Allan Moffat Ford XW Falcon GT-HO Phase II 1 November 1970 Production cars 1971 Rothmans 250 Allan Moffat Ford XY Falcon GT-HO Phase III 7 November 1971 Group E Series Production Touring Cars 1972 Chesterfield 300 Allan Moffat Ford XY Falcon GT-HO Phase III 26 November 1972 Group E Series Production Touring Cars 1973 Chesterfield 300 Peter Brock Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 12 November 1973 Group C Touring Cars 1974 Chesterfield 300 Colin Bond Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 10 November 1974 Group C Touring Cars 1975 Rothmans 300 Allan Moffat Ford XB Falcon GT Hardtop 9 November 1975 Group C Touring Cars 1976 Rothmans 300 Peter Brock Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34 7 November 1976 Group C Touring Cars 1977 Rothmans 300 Allan Moffat Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop 6 November 1977 Group C Touring Cars 1978 Rothmans 300 Peter Brock Holden LX Torana A9X SS Hatchback 5 November 1978 Group C Touring Cars 1979 Rothmans 300 Charlie O'Brien Holden LX Torana A9X SS 4-Door 4 November 1979 Group C Touring Cars 1980 Compact Tennis 400 Charlie O'Brien Holden Commodore VC 2 November 1980 Group C Touring Cars 1981 Surfers Paradise International Resort 300 Allan Moffat Mazda RX-7 1 November 1981 Group C Touring Cars 1982 Gold Coast 300 Allan Moffat Mazda RX-7 7 November 1982 Group C Touring Cars 1983 Gold Coast 300 Allan Grice Holden Commodore VH 30 October 1983 Group C Touring Cars 1984 Motorcraft 300 Peter Brock Holden Commodore VK 4 November 1984 Group C Touring Cars 1985 Motorcraft 300 Jim Richards BMW 635 CSi 27 October 1985 Group A Touring Cars 1986 BP Plus 300 George FuryGlenn Seton Nissan Skyline DR30 RS 24 August 1986 Group A Touring Cars

National championship rounds Rounds of various Australian motor racing championship were held at the circuit. Winners of the Surfers Paradise round of a selection of these championships is shown below.

Australian Drivers' Championship

Year Driver Car Entrant Australian National Formula / Australian 1½ Litre Formula1966 Spencer MartinRepco-Brabham BT11A ClimaxBob Jane Racing1967 Spencer MartinRepco-Brabham BT11A ClimaxBob Jane Racing Team1968 Kevin BartlettBrabham BT23D Alfa RomeoAlec Mildren Racing Australian National Formula / Australian Formula 21969 Kevin BartlettMildren Mono WaggottAlec Mildren Racing Australian Formula 1 / Australian Formula 21971 Frank MatichMcLaren M10B Repco HoldenRothmans Team Matich1972 Frank MatichMatich A50 Repco HoldenFrank Matich Racing1973 John McCormackElfin MR5 Repco HoldenAnsett Team Elfin1974 Max StewartLola T330 ChevroletMax Stewart Motors1975 Max StewartLola T400 ChevroletSharp Corporation1977 John McCormackMcLaren M23 Repco LeylandBudget Rent-A-Car System

Australian Sports Car Championship

Year Driver Car Entrant1969 Frank MatichMatich SR4 RepcoRothmans Team Matich1972 John HarveyMcLaren M6B RepcoBob Jane Racing1982 Chris ClearihanKaditcha ChevroletChris Clearihan1983 Chris ClearihanKaditcha ChevroletChris Clearihan1984 Bap RomanoRomano WE84 CosworthBap Romano Racing1985 Chris ClearihanKaditcha ChevroletChris Clearihan1986 John BoweVeskanda C1 ChevroletBernard van Elsen

Australian Sports Sedan Championship Year Driver Car Entrant1976 Allan MoffatChevrolet MonzaAllan Moffat Racing1977 Bob JaneHolden HQ Monaro ChevroletBob Jane 2UW Racing Team1978 Allan GriceChevrolet CorvairCraven Mild Racing1979 Phil WardHolden HQ Monaro ChevroletChannel 10 - NSW Building Society1980 Tony EdmondsonAlfa Romeo Alfetta GTV Repco HoldenDonald Elliott

Australian GT Championship

Year Driver Car Entrant1982 Alan JonesPorsche 935/80Porsche Cars Australia1983 Rusty FrenchPorsche 935/80John Sands Racing1984 Allan GriceChevrolet MonzaRe-Car Racing1985 Bryan ThomsonChevrolet MonzaThomson-Fowler Motorsport

Lap records

The fastest official lap records at Surfers Paradise International Raceway are listed as:

Class Time Driver Vehicle Date International Circuit (1966–1987): Group A Sports Car (Over 3 litres) Group C Sports Car 1:04.3 John Bowe Veskanda C1 24 August 1986 Formula One 1:04.7 David Kennedy Wolf WR4 18 February 1979 Group A Sports Car (1.6 to 3 litres) 1:05.8 Bap Romano Romano WE84 13 May 1984 Australian GT 1:09.8 Allan Grice Chevrolet Monza 26 August 1984 Group A Sports Car (Up to 1.6 litres) 1:13.4 Andrew Roberts Roberts S2 13 May 1984 Group C Touring Car (3001–6000cc) 1:15.0 Allan Moffat Peter Brock Mazda RX-7Holden VH Commodore 15 May 1983 Group A Touring Car (Under 2500cc) 1:15.5 Jim Richards BMW M3 31 May 1987 Group C Touring Car (Up to 3000cc) 1:16.1 George Fury Nissan Bluebird Turbo 15 May 1983 Group A Touring Car (Over 2500cc) 1:16.4 George Fury Nissan Skyline DR30 RS 31 May 1987

See also

Sports on the Gold Coast, Queensland Surfers Paradise Street Circuit

References