Mark WalkerBuilding a Motorsport Precinct: Willowbank Raceway
In the opening leg of our look back at the history of Queensland Raceway, we got the ball rolling by delving into the rich history of motorsport in the Ipswich area. Many significant pioneering efforts, including multiple early motorsport efforts close to Willowbank, created an automotive culture that continues to this day. Willowbank's original race track, Heit Park, is to the north, and the future site of the Ipswich Motorsport Precinct is to the south, connected by the Cunningham Highway. Photo from Qimagery in the mid-1950s. Creating the Ipswich Motorsport Precinct Some 4km further south along the Cunningham Highway from
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TRT Media ReleaseTargett Triple at QR
A POWERFUL performance has delivered Oscar Targett the first three-peat of the 2024 season, sweeping all three races to claim Round 4 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series at Queensland Raceway. Having claimed pole, a race one win and the lap record on Friday, Targett backed up that performance with two wins on Saturday to head to Tasmania's penultimate round of the series with a much more comfortable championship lead with two events and six races left in his second Porsche season. Targett's excellent weekend came despite ceding the lead in all three races, slow starts from the
Continue readingTargett Fast Start
A SLOW start couldn't stop Oscar Targett from extending his lead in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series, taking win number five for the season in a twilight affair at Queensland Raceway. Targett started from pole however burst into wheelspin at the start, losing the lead to young Kiwi Ayrton Hodson, who lead his first Sprint Challenge laps after making the better start from the outside of the front row. However he was hunted down and passed by the championship leader, who would ultimately streak away to record the win - breaking the lap record in the process. Targett
Continue readingDick Johnson: Return to Leyburn
Dick Johnson is returning to the famous Leyburn Sprint next weekend, although, he arrives well versed in which way the streets of the provincial town run. Over the years, the Johnson family has been a mainstay of the historic revival in the tiny Darling Downs town. These photos were taken at his 2008 appearance, where he managed to commandeer a number of racecars, including Rod McMullin's Ford Indy V8 Special and Dennis Brown's Ford Escort. In 2008, loose gravel around the course played its part in providing plenty of action... Want to know more about the reasons behind the Sprints,
Continue readingMotors & Masterpieces Gains Historic Partner
Motors & Masterpieces, Australia’s preeminent automotive festival, is proud to partner with the Australian Motor Heritage Foundation (AMHF) to further promote interest in the classic vehicle movement. Scheduled for November 22-24 at the Melbourne Showgrounds, Motors & Masterpieces will bring together the very best examples from across the motoring spectrum, with top-tier car and motorcycle displays from different eras of motoring history." The AMHF’s vision is to preserve and promote Australia’s motoring heritage through preservation, education, and research. At the heart of the AMHF’s work to date is an economic value study of Australia’s historic vehicle sector, which was recently
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Team TRTCallum Hedge on IndyNXT, IndyCar aspirations
Callum Hedge won Porsche championships in Australia and then completely changed tack in his career to chase an IndyCar dream - and he's going the right way about it. The young Kiwi checks in following a strong start to his IndyNXT campaign, talks adapting to racing Ovals for the first time, using a spotter, moving to Indianapolis and what it's like to come across his racing hero Scott Dixon in the Gym.. Then there's the Belgian GP recap in the HOTs and NOTs, plus a chat about Olympic games because of course there is. Listen at the player below or
Continue readingSprint Challenge Primed for QR
THE FIGHT for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia supremacy enters the second half of a compelling 2024 season this weekend at Queensland Raceway. Round 4 of the series returns a 23-strong field to the Shannons SpeedSeries Race Queensland event at the Ipswich circuit, the track long a staple of the series and home base to a large number of its teams and drivers. The title battle is well poised following three rounds with Oscar Targett and Brock Gilchrist split by just 26 points out in front, while a chasing pack including Hamish Fitzsimmons, Aron Shields, Clay Osborne, Caleb Sumich and
Continue readingTouring Car Celebration Set for Winton
The season of historic motorsport continues this weekend, with the VHRR’s Winton Festival of Speed set to not only celebrate 50 years of Ford versus Holden but also 60 years of the Ford Mustang. Making an appearance at the event will be the Historic Group C & A Touring Cars, which are set to be joined by feature races for older generation Historic Group N machinery. Last year, the Group N 50K Plate mini enduro attracted 40 entries, with the main prize claimed by Jamie Tilley. The Group C & A field will feature Supercars team owner Peter Xibberas aboard
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A Time Before Winton: The Benalla Street Race
While Winton Motor Raceway continues to be one of the longest-serving permanent circuits in the nation, the area’s first car race was a true pioneer. In 1936, a triangular street course on the outskirts of Benalla hosted the first official car race ever contested on the public roads of mainland Victoria. Organised by the Benalla Centenary Celebrations Committee and the Victorian Sporting Car Club (VSCC), the event was very much run against the odds, with the government of the time dead against motorsport on public roads. Timeline of a Pioneering Event 28th February 1936 The concept of motorsport as a
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