The South Pacific Touring Car Championship was a motorsport championship staged in Australia and New Zealand for Group A touring cars between October and December in 1986. The championship was won by Australian driver Allan Grice.
The series received little support from the top teams, especially the Australians other than for the first two rounds held in Australia, while all bar a couple of the New Zealand teams only contested NZ races. Once the series went to New Zealand, Grice and Charlie O'Brien were in fact the only Australian drivers to support the series while those such as Peter Jackson Nissan, JPS Team BMW and the Mobil Holden Dealer Team completely ignored the NZ races.
The series was reportedly set to continue in 1987, however after the first race in Adelaide, interest flagged as the Australian teams were not interested in going to New Zealand after a long season which included the 1987 World Touring Car Championship rounds at Bathurst, Calder and Wellington and the series was cancelled.
Champions Year Driver Team Car 1986 Allan Grice Roadways RacingTeam Nissan Racing NZ Holden VK Commodore SS Group ANissan Skyline DR30 RS 1987 Dick Johnson Shell Ultra Hi-Tech Racing Team Ford Sierra RS500
1986 race calendar The 1986 South Pacific Touring Car Championship was contested over a five-round series with two races in Australia and three races in New Zealand.
Round 1 of the series also doubled as Round 5 of the 1986 Australian Endurance Championship, while Round 2 in Adelaide also doubled as the Group A support race at the Australian Formula One Grand Prix. Rd.Race titleCircuitCityDateWinnerCarTeamReport 1 The Sun South Pacific 300 Calder Park Raceway Melbourne 19 October George Fury Glenn Seton Nissan Skyline DR30 RS Peter Jackson Nissan Racing 1986 AEC Round 5 Calder Park 2 South Australia Cup Adelaide Street Circuit Adelaide 25 October Allan Grice Holden VK Commodore SS Group A Roadways Racing 1986 AGP Adelaide Group A Support Race 3 Manfeild SPTCC Manfeild Autocourse Palmerston North 30 November Graeme Crosby Wayne Wilkinson Holden VK Commodore SS Group A Bob Jane T-Marts 1986 Manfield 400 at History of Touring Car Racing 4 Baypark SPTCC Baypark Raceway Mount Maunganui 7 December Allan Grice Kent Baigent Nissan Skyline DR30 RS Team Nissan Racing NZ 1986 Baypark 3 Hours at History of Touring Car Racing 5 Pukekohe SPTCC Pukekohe Park Raceway Pukekohe 14 December Charlie O'Brien Glenn McIntyre BMW 635 CSi State Coal BMW 1986 Pukekohe 150 at History of Touring Car Racing
Championship results Position Driver Team Car Points 1 Allan Grice Roadways RacingTeam Nissan Racing NZ Holden VK Commodore SS Group ANissan Skyline DR30 RS 81 2 Trevor Crowe Archibalds BMW 635 CSi 73 3 Graeme Crosby Bob Jane T-Marts Holden VK Commodore SS Group A 67 4 Charlie O'Brien Bob Jane T-MartsState Coal BMW BMW 635 CSi 66 Glenn McIntyre State Coal BMW BMW 635 CSi 66 6 George Fury Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Nissan Skyline DR30 RS 57 7 Ed Lamont Lamont Racing/Can-Am Construction BMW 325i 55 8 Glenn Seton Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Nissan Skyline DR30 RS 47 9 Robbie Ker Ford Mustang GT 45 Wayne Huxford Ford Mustang GT 45 11 Wayne Wilkinson Bob Jane T-Marts Holden VK Commodore SS Group A 43 Graham Lorimer BMW 635 CSi 43 Tony Lawrence BMW 635 CSi 43 14 Larry Perkins Enzed Team Perkins Holden VK Commodore SS Group A 40 15 John Harvey Mobil Holden Dealer Team Holden VK Commodore SS Group A 34 16 Denny Hulme Bob Jane T-MartsRocket Cargo/Bill Bryce Mercedes-Benz 190EBMW 325i 32 Dave Barrow Toyota Team New Zealand Toyota Corolla FX-GT AE82 32 18 Kent Baigent Team Nissan Racing NZ Nissan Skyline DR30 RS 30
See also Touring car racing Group A Australian Endurance Championship
References