- Mallala Motor Sport Park
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Mallala Motor Sport Park 
Track mapLocation Mallala, South Australia Time zone UTC+09:30 (UTC+10.5 DST) Coordinates 34°24′54″S 138°30′17″E / 34.415°S 138.50472°ECoordinates: 34°24′54″S 138°30′17″E / 34.415°S 138.50472°E Owner Clem Smith Opened 19 August 1961 [1]
Re-opened: 1980Major events Australian Grand Prix
Australian Drivers' Champ.
Australian Tourist Trophy
Australian Touring Car Champ.
V8 Supercar Development SeriesLength 2.601 km (1.616 mi) Turns 10 (Officially 8) Lap record 1:02.57 (Paul Stokell, Reynard 90D Holden, 1994, Formula Holden) Mallala Motor Sport Park is a 2.6 km (1.6 mi) bitumen motor racing circuit near the town of Mallala in South Australia, 55 km north of the state capital, Adelaide.
Contents
Mallala Race Circuit (1961 to 1971)
The Mallala Race Circuit, as it was originally known,[2] was established on the site of the former RAAF Base Mallala. The land was purchased from the Royal Australian Air Force at public auction in 1961 by a group of enthusiasts seeking to create a replacement for the Port Wakefield Circuit.[3] South Australia had been allocated the 1961 Australian Grand Prix on the state by state rotational system that applied at that time but the organisers had subsequently been informed by CAMS that the Port Wakefield venue was not suitable for the event.[4] The opening meeting for the new venue was held on 19 August 1961 with Bib Stillwell winning the main event in a Cooper Climax.[1] The 1961 Australian Grand Prix featuring at the second meeting.[5] The original lap distance of 3.4 km (2.1 mi) was reduced to 2.6 km (1.6 mi) in late 1964[5] when Bosch Curve was moved closer to the Dunlop Curve Grandstand ,[6] thus removing the north eastern leg of the circuit.[7]
Mallala served as South Australia’s home of motor sport throughout the sixties[5] and it hosted a round of the Australian Drivers' Championship each year from 1961 to 1971.[8] The Australian Tourist Trophy was held there in 1962 and 1968 [9] and the single race Australian Touring Car Championship was staged in 1963 as were annual rounds of the same championship after it changed to a series format in 1969. In 1971 the property was bought by Keith Williams, constructor of the new Adelaide International Raceway[3] The circuit was closed in that year and a covenant preventing any motor sport activities was placed on the property.[3]
Mallala Motor Sport Park (1982 to date)
Competitors in the 2010 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Series on the grid at Mallala Motor Sport Park on 30 May 2010
Following the purchase of the Mallala site by South Australia businessman and former racer Clem Smith in 1977, a Supreme Court decision declared the covenant unenforceable.[3] The facility was then redeveloped and was reopened for motorcycle racing in 1980 and for car racing in 1982.[5] It was now known as Mallala Motor Sport Park.[10]
The circuit was initially issued with a “B” track license, thus excluding the staging of championship level racing.[11] This restriction was later lifted and the circuit hosted a round of the Australian Touring Car Championship each year from 1989 to 1998. When that championship evolved into the V8 Supercar Championship Series in 1999, the Mallala round was replaced by the Clipsal 500, held on the Adelaide Street Circuit. A round of the second tier V8 Supercar Development Series was held at Mallala Motor Sport Park each year from 2000 to 2006.
Currently the main meetings held annually are the Mallala Historics each Easter and a round of the Shannons Nationals later in the year. Drifting now takes place on a regular basis in the form of the G1 Drift Competition and Drift Supercup which runs from turn 8 to turn 2. Supertruck Racing is no longer staged at Mallala due to the deteriorating surface of the track, the final weekend being in late 2009. Major meetings at Mallala are run by the Sporting Car Club of SA and other clubs that regularly use the circuit include the Adelaide Superkart Club, Marque Sports Car Association of SA, and the MG Car Club of SA. Since its re-opening, the Mallala circuit has also been used for private driver training courses and the South Australia Police use the circuit for driver training and assessment.
The Mallanats is an annual car show event held at the circuit. The weekend includes burnout competitions and exhibition events. 2009 was the first time the Mallanats were held and it is set to return late in 2010.
The Elfin Mallala sports racing car was named after the circuit, having competed in its first race there.
Lap Records
The Esses at Mallala Motor Sport ParkAs of September 2011
Class Driver Vehicle Time Date Outright Outright 
Paul StokellReynard 90D Holden 1:02.57 7 August 1994 Racing Cars Formula Holden Paul StokellReynard 90D Holden 1:02.57 7 August 1994 Formula 3 
Ben ClucasDallara F304 Spiess Opel 1:04.3218 25 June 2006 Formula 2 Barry WardReynard 893 01:07.3 Formula Ford Tim SladeVan Diemen RF04 Ford 1:11.4133 17 September 2006 Formula Vee Ben PorterCheckmate 1:19.7145 31 October 2010 Superkart Gary PegoraroAnderson Maverick FPE 1:06.3237 7 June 2009 Sports Cars GT David WallPorsche 911 GT3 1:09.7070 25 June 2006 Sports Sedan Tony RicciardelloAlfa Romeo Alfetta GTV-Chevrolet 1:05.9536 18 May 2008 Porsche GT3 Challenge Matt KingsleyPorsche 997 GT3 Cup 1:10.0052 30 May 2010 Touring Cars V8 Supercar 
Greg MurphyHolden VS Commodore 1:08.1437 13 July 1997 Super Touring Brad JonesAudi A4 Quattro 1:10.3 19 July 1998 Improved Production D Anthony WallisMazda 808 1:14.9796 3 May 2009 Improved Production C James SuttonMazda R100 1:16.52 2 November 2003 Commodore Cup Marcus ZukanovicHolden Commodore 1:18.0369 25 June 2006 Saloon Cars Bruce HeinrichHolden VT Commodore 1:18.8580 23 August 2008 V8 Utes Grant JohnsonHolden SS Ute 1:21.4940 21 August 2005 Production Cars Steve KnightMitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 1:19.3665 17 October 2007 HQ Holdens Neil CoreyHolden HQ Kingswood 1:28.0356 15 May 2011 Motorcycles Superbike Mat MladinKawasaki Ninja ZX-7R 1:07.8 19 November 1995 SuperSport Kevin CurtainYamaha YZF-R6 1:09.9 23 May 1999 References
- ^ a b Stuart Innes, Mallala's lap of honour, The Advertiser, Saturday, 20 August 2011, page 41
- ^ Official Souvenir Programme, Mallala Motor Races, Easter Monday, 15 April 1963, page 6
- ^ a b c d Mallala History Retrieved from www.spriteclub.com.au on 24 May 2010
- ^ Austin 7 Club SA 50 Years Retrieved from www.austin7clubsa.com.au on 25 May 2010
- ^ a b c d The Macquarie Dictionary of Motoring, 1986, page 288
- ^ The Revised Race Track, Official Souvenir Programme, Mallala Motor Races, 12 October 1964, page 6
- ^ Mallala circuit map Retrieved from www.silhouet.com on 25 May 2010
- ^ Gold Star Supplement, Racing Car News, August 1972
- ^ 1980 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 56
- ^ Official Souvenir Programme, The Premier Meeting of Mallala Motor Sport Park, 27 June 1982
- ^ Official Souvenir Programme, The Premier Meeting of Mallala Motor Sport Park, 27 June 1982, page 4
External links
- Mallala Motor Sport Park
- Sporting Car Club of SA Inc
- Marque Sports Car Association of SA Inc
- MG Car Club of SA
- South Australian Motor Racing Officials Association
- RAAF Museum: RAAF base Mallala
- Google Maps
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Categories:- Motorsport venues in Australia
- Former V8 Supercar tracks
- Sports venues in South Australia
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