PROFILPELAJAR.COM

Mallala Motor Sport Park
	Full Circuit (1964–1971, 1980–present)
Location	Mallala, South Australia
Time zone	UTC+09:30 (UTC+10:30 DST)
Coordinates	34°24′54″S 138°30′17″E / 34.41500°S 138.50472°E
Owner	Peregrine Corporation; (February 2017–present); Clem Smith (1977–2017); Keith Williams (1971–1976)
Operator	Peregrine Corporation (May 2017–present)
Opened	19 August 1961; 63 years ago; Re-opened: 1980
Closed	1971
Former names	Mallala Race Circuit (1961–1971)
Major events	Future:; Trans-Am Australia (2025); TA2 Racing Muscle Car Series (2025); Former:; Australian Grand Prix (1961); Australian Drivers' Championship (1961–1971, 1988–1991, 1994–1997, 2000–2008, 2010, 2017); Australian Tourist Trophy; (1962, 1968); Australian Touring Car Championship; (1963, 1969–1971, 1989–1998); V8 Supercar Development Series (2000–2006); Australian GT (2006)
Full Circuit (1964–1971, 1980–present)
Length	2.601 km (1.616 miles)
Turns	9
Race lap record	1:02.570 ( Paul Stokell, Reynard 90D, 1994, Formula Brabham)
Original Circuit (1961–1963)
Length	3.379 km (2.100 miles)
Turns	11
Race lap record	1:44.000 ( Bill Patterson/Lex Davison, Cooper T51, 1961, Formula Libre)

Mallala Motor Sport Park is a 2.601 km (1.616 mi) bitumen motor racing circuit near the town of Mallala in South Australia, 55 km (34 mi) north of the state capital, Adelaide.

Mallala Race Circuit (1961–1971)

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 the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) that the 2.092 km (1.300 mi) Port Wakefield Circuit, which had hosted the 1955 Australian Grand Prix, was no longer suitable to host 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 headlined the circuits second meeting with Lex Davison winning his fourth and last AGP driving a Cooper T51 Coventry Climax FPF.^[5] The original lap distance of 3.379 km (2.100 mi) was reduced to 2.601 km (1.616 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 who at the time owned the Surfers Paradise International Raceway, and was constructing the new Adelaide International Raceway.^[3] Mallala was closed in that year as Williams had a court ordered covenant placed on the property preventing any motor sport activities. This ensured that Adelaide International would become the new home of motor racing in SA.^[3]

Test Track

After the circuit's closure as a motor racing venue, Chrysler Australia, who had their manufacturing base in Adelaide, continued using the Mallala as their test track. Leading race drivers Leo and Pete Geoghegan, who were factory backed Chrysler drivers in Series Production racing, often tested vehicles such as the Chrysler Valiant Charger at the circuit. Mallala was also the test track for the Adelaide-based Elfin Sports Cars run by company founder Garrie Cooper. Elfin produced a variety of sports and Open-wheel race cars.

Mallala Motor Sport Park (1980–present)

Following the purchase of the Mallala site by South Australia businessman and Sports Sedan 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, and the track's biggest annual event became Historic Mallala which was held each Easter.^[11] This was upgraded to an "A" track license in 1984, allowing Mallala to stage Round 5 of the 1984 Australian Formula 2 Championship on 3 June won by Keith McClelland driving a Cheetah Mk 8-VW. This was the first national championship round to be staged at the circuit since the final round of the 1971 Australian Sports Car Championship on 14 November 1971 won by John Harvey driving a McLaren M6B-Repco.

National championship motor racing continued sporadically over the next few years, but the circuit was brought back into national focus when it was chosen over Adelaide International to host a round of the Australian Touring Car Championship each year from 1989 to 1998. When that championship evolved into the Shell Championship Series in 1999, the Mallala round was replaced by the Clipsal 500, held on a shortened version of the Adelaide Street Circuit in an exclusive deal between V8 Supercars and the John Olsen led Government of South Australia. A round of the second tier V8 Supercar Development Series was held at Mallala Motor Sport Park each year from 2000 to 2006 before also moving to the Adelaide Street Circuit in 2007.

On 7 May 1989, Mallala had the honour of hosting the first ever Formula Holden race as part of the opening round of the 1989 Australian Drivers' Championship. Mark McLaughlin driving a South Australian designed and built Elfin FA891 won the opening heat of the meeting from former dual Australian Formula 2 champion Peter Glover, with television commentator turned race driver Neil Crompton finishing third.

Currently the main meetings held annually are the Mallala Historics each Easter and a round of the Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships staged shortly afterwards. 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 event being in late 2009. Major meetings at Mallala are run by the Sporting Car Club of South Australia 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 held at the circuit since 2009. The weekend includes burnout competitions and various performance car events similar to the Summernats format. The event returned once a year in 2010 and 2011, with two Mallanats events being scheduled in 2012.

The Elfin Mallala sports racing car was named after the circuit, having competed in its first race there.

Ownership by Peregrine Corporation

Following the passing of owner Clem Smith in February 2017 the Peregrine Corporation, owners of the upcoming The Bend Motorsport Park, purchased the complex and took over the operations in May the same year.^[12] Peregrine Corporation is owned by the Shahin family who also own On the Run (convenience store) in Australia.

Major events

Australian Grand Prix

In just its second race meeting, the Mallala Race Circuit hosted the 1961 Australian Grand Prix. The race was won by Lex Davison driving a Cooper T51 Coventry Climax FPF from Bib Stillwell, with David McKay finishing third. McKay finished first on the road, but was controversially penalised 60 seconds for an alleged jump start.

Year	Driver	Car	Entrant
Formula Libre
1961	Lex Davison	Cooper T51	BS Stillwell

Australian Touring Car Championship

Each year from 1960 to 1968 the Australian Touring Car Championship was contested as single race, with Mallala hosting the title in 1963 on its original 3.38 km (2.1 mi) layout. From 1969 onwards the championship was contested over a number of rounds with Mallala hosting a round each year from 1969 to 1971 and from 1989 to 1998. From 1972 to 1988 all ATCC rounds in South Australia were held at the Adelaide International Raceway. In 1999 the Australian Touring Car Championship was renamed to the Shell Championship Series with all South Australian rounds from that time held at a modified (shortened) version of the Adelaide Street Circuit.

In 1989 when the ATCC returned to Mallala after an absence of 18 years, the tight and bumpy circuit received mixed reviews from the top touring car drivers. Some, such as Nissan driver Jim Richards praised the circuit stating that the racing would be closer as it did not allow the all-powerful Ford Sierra RS500's to fully utilise their speed advantage. Others such as reigning (and that years) ATCC champion Dick Johnson were openly critical of the circuit and its lack of facilities, though some cynically noted that other than Bathurst, Johnson wouldn't admit to liking any circuit located outside of his home state of Queensland. Ironically, Dick Johnson would actually win the 1989 ATCC race at Mallala rather easily, claiming pole position and sprinting away from the field to win by 29 seconds after 60 minutes of racing. To his credit circuit owner Clem Smith would use the profits made from hosting Australia's highest profile race series which would regularly draw a capacity crowd despite not always having good weather, to continually upgrade the facilities at Mallala until the championship moved to Adelaide in 1999.^[13]

The following table lists the winner of the single race 1963 championship and the winners of each Australian Touring Car Championship round held at the Mallala circuit.

Year	Driver	Car	Entrant
Appendix J Touring Cars
1963	Bob Jane	Jaguar Mark 2	Bob Jane
Group C Improved Production
1969	Ian Geoghegan	Ford Mustang GTA	Mustang Team
1970	Ian Geoghegan	Ford Mustang GTA	Geoghegan's Sporty Cars
1971	Bob Jane	Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1	Bob Jane Racing Team
Group A
1989	Dick Johnson	Ford Sierra RS500	Shell Ultra-Hi Racing
1990	Colin Bond	Ford Sierra RS500	Caltex CXT Racing
1991	Mark Skaife	Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R	Nissan Motor Sport
1992	Mark Skaife	Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R	Winfield Team Nissan
Group 3A Touring Cars
1993	Glenn Seton	Ford EB Falcon	Peter Jackson Racing
1994	Mark Skaife	Holden VP Commodore	Winfield Racing
1995	Glenn Seton	Ford EF Falcon	Peter Jackson Racing
1996	Craig Lowndes	Holden VR Commodore	Holden Racing Team
1997	Greg Murphy	Holden VS Commodore	Holden Racing Team
1998	Russell Ingall	Holden VS Commodore	Castrol Perkins Racing

Australian Super Touring Championship

Mallala hosted the Australian Super Touring Championship (known as the Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship in 1993 and Australian Manufacturers' Championship in 1994) 8 times between 1993 and 2000–01.

Year	Winner	Car	Team
1993	John Smith	Toyota Corolla Seca AE93	Caltex Team Toyota
1994	Tony Longhurst	BMW 318i	Benson & Hedges Racing
1995	Geoff Brabham	BMW 318i	Diet Coke BMW Racing
1996	Greg Murphy	Audi A4 Quattro	Orix Audi Sport Australia
1997	Cameron McConville	Audi A4 Quattro	Orix Audi Sport Australia
1998	Brad Jones	Audi A4 Quattro	Audi Sport Australia
1999	Paul Morris	BMW 320i	Paul Morris Motorsport
2000–01	Paul Morris	BMW 320i	Paul Morris Motorsport

V8 Supercar Development Series

Mallala Motor Sport Park hosted a round of the V8 Supercar Development Series each year from the inception of the series in 2000 through to 2006. Since 2007 all South Australian rounds have been held at the Adelaide Parklands Circuit.

Year	Driver	Car	Entrant
2000	David Besnard	Ford EL Falcon	Stone Brothers Racing
2001	Simon Wills	Holden VT Commodore	Team Dynamik
2002	Paul Dumbrell	Holden VX Commodore	Independent Race Cars Australia
2003	Mark Winterbottom	Ford AU Falcon	Stone Brothers Racing
2004	Greg Ritter	Ford AU Falcon	Speed FX Racing
2005	Dean Canto	Ford BF Falcon	Dick Johnson Racing
2006	Adam Macrow	Ford BA Falcon	Howard Racing

Australian Drivers' Championship

Mallala Race Circuit hosted the South Australian round of the annual Australian Drivers' Championship each year from 1961 to 1971. Mallala Motor Sport Park has hosted rounds in numerous years since 1988 including hosting the inaugural Formula Holden race in 1989..

Year	Driver	Car	Entrant
Formula Libre
1961	Lex Davison	Cooper T51	BS Stillwell
1962	Bib Stillwell	Cooper T53	BS Stillwell
1963	John Youl	Cooper T55	John Youl
Australian National Formula & Australian 1½ Litre Formula
1964	Lex Davison	Brabham BT4	Ecurie Australie
1965	Bib Stillwell	Repco Brabham BT11A	BS Stillwell
1966	John Harvey	Brabham BT14	RC Phillips
1967	Spencer Martin	Repco Brabham BT11A	Bob Jane Racing Team
1968	Leo Geoghegan	Lotus 39	Geoghegan Racing Team
Australian National Formula & Australian Formula 2
1969	Garrie Cooper	Elfin 600C	Elfin Sports Cars
Australian Formula 1 & Australian Formula 2
1970	Leo Geoghegan	Lotus 59	Geoghegan's Sporty Cars
1971	John McCormack	Elfin MR5	Elfin Sports Cars
Australian Formula 2
1988	Rohan Onslow	Cheetah Mk8	RJ MacArthur Onslow
Formula Holden
1989	Mark McLaughlin	Elfin FA891	Elfin Sports Cars
1990	Mark Skaife	SPA FB001	Skaife Racing P/L
Formula Brabham
1991	Mark Skaife	SPA 003	Skaife Racing
1994	Paul Stokell	Reynard 91D	Birrana Racing
1995	Paul Stokell	Reynard 91D	Birrana Racing
Formula Holden
1996	Jason Bright	Reynard 91D	Birrana Racing
1997	Mark Noske	Lola T93/50	Mark Noske
2000	Simon Wills	Reynard 94D	Birrana Racing
2001	Rick Kelly	Reynard 94D	Holden Young Lions
2002	Will Power	Reynard 94D	Ralt Australia
Formula 4000
2003	Daniel Gaunt	Reynard 96D	Ralt Australia / Pure Power Racing
2004	Neil McFadyen	Reynard 96D	Ralt Australia
Australian Formula 3
2005	Michael Caruso	Dallara F301	Picollo Scuderia Corse
2006	Ben Clucas	Dallara F304	Gawler Farm Machinery
2007	James Winslow	Dallara F304	Piccola Scuderia Corse
2008	Leanne Tander	Dallara F307	TanderSport
2010	Ben Barker	Dallara F307	Team BRM
2017	Calan Williams	Dallara F311	Gilmour Racing

Australian Formula 2 Championship

Australian Formula 2 Championship raced at Mallala 6 times between 1971 and 1988. The 1984 championship races were the first time the circuit had been used for CAMS sanctioned national championship racing of any category since 1971.

Year	Winner	Car	Team
1971	Henk Woelders	Elfin 600C	Bill Patterson Racing
1984	Keith McClelland	Cheetah Mk 8	Keith McClelland
1985	Peter Glover	Cheetah Mk 8	Peter Macrow
1986	Jon Crooke	Cheetah Mk 8	Jonathon Crooke
1987	Mark McLaughlin	Elfin 852	Elfin Sports Cars Pty Ltd
1988	Rohan Onslow	Cheetah Mk 8	RJ MacArthur Onslow

Australian Sports Sedan Championship

The Australian Sports Sedan Championship raced at Mallala 6 times between 1991 and 2003.

Year	Winner	Car	Team
1991	Mick Monterosso	Ford Escort Mark II Chevrolet	Mick Monterosso
1992	Brian Smith	Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV Chevrolet	B. Smith
1998	Tony Ricciardello	Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV Chevrolet	Basil Ricciardello
1999	Tony Ricciardello	Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV Chevrolet	Basil Ricciardello
2000	Kerry Baily	Nissan 300ZX Chevrolet	Kerry Baily
2003	Tony Ricciardello	Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV Chevrolet	Basil Ricciardello

Australian Nations Cup Championship

The Australian Nations Cup Championship raced at Mallala in 2004. It would be the final ever round of the Nations Cup Championship for GT style cars.

Year	Winner	Car	Team
2004	James Brock	Holden Monaro 427C	Team Brock

Australian GT Championship

The Australian GT Championship raced at Mallala in 2006.

Year	Winner	Car	Team
2006	Bryce Washington	Porsche 911 (996) GT3 Cup	ADRAD Radiator Experts

Lap records

As of February 2024, the fastest official race lap records at Mallala Motor Sport Park are listed as:^[14]^[15]

Class	Driver	Vehicle	Time	Date
Full Circuit: 2.601 km (1964–1971, 1980–present)^[16]
Formula Holden	Paul Stokell	Reynard 90D	1:02.570^[15]	7 August 1994
Formula Three	Calan Williams	Dallara F311	1:03.4078	11 June 2017
Sports Sedan	Tony Ricciardello	Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV-Chevrolet	1:05.6328	27 April 2014
Superbike	Daniel Falzon	Yamaha YZF-R1	1:05.767^[17]	6 March 2021
Time Attack Pro Class	Matt Longhurst	Nissan Skyline GT-R R34	1:05.8612	18 November 2017
Sports Racer	James Winslow	West WR 1000	1:05.9810	26 April 2014
Superkart	Gary Pegoraro	Anderson Maverick FPE	1:06.3237	7 June 2009
Supersport	Jamie Stauffer	Yamaha YZF-R6	1:07.424^[18]	31 August 2009
GT3	Mark Rosser	Audi R8 LMS GT3	1:07.6377	10 October 2021
Group 3A	Greg Murphy	Holden VS Commodore	1:08.1437^[15]	13 July 1997
Nations Cup	Paul Stokell	Lamborghini Diablo GTR	1:08.5179^[15]	19 September 2004
Dunlop V8 Supercar	Paul Dumbrell	Holden VT Commodore	1:08.7330^[15]	12 August 2001
Porsche Carrera Cup	John Goodacre	Porsche 911 (997) GT3 Cup 3.8	1:09.0918	27 April 2014
Prostock	Pat Medcalf	Yamaha YZF-R1	1:09.231^[18]	31 August 2009
Group A	Mark Skaife	Nissan Skyline GT-R R32	1:09.26^[19]	31 May 1992
Formula 1000	Aaron Steer	Firman F1000	1:09.3565	23 May 2015
Super Touring	Brad Jones	Audi A4 Quattro	1:10.2569^[15]	19 July 1998
Formula Ford	Nick Percat	Van Diemen RF04	1:11.3624^[15]	17 September 2006
Sidecar	Steve Abbott / Jamie Biggs	Suzuki LCR	1:11.505^[18]	5 June 2005
125cc GP	Brett Simmonds	Honda RS 125	1:12.265^[18]	5 June 2005
Improved Production Outright	Andy Sarandis	Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8 RS	1:12.4487	8 July 2023
Time Attack ClubSprint	Stanley Gong	Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MR	1:13.9359	19 February 2022
Improved Production Class B	Michael De Luca	Mazda RX7	1:15.5948	21 Aug 2016
Formula Vee	Andrew Ford	Birrana 274	1:16.5879	12 March 2022
Commodore Cup	Daniel Richert	Holden VS Commodore	1:17.6841	1 July 2007
Saloon Cars	Wayne King	Holden VT Commodore	1:18.6555	23 May 2016
Porsche 944	Chris Lewis-Williams	Porsche 944	1:19.6163	19 August 2017
Production Cars	Steve Knight	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8	1:19.3665	17 October 2007
V8 Utes	Grant Johnson	Holden SS Ute	1:21.4940^[15]	21 August 2005
Circuit Excel	Joel Johnson	Hyundai Excel	1:25.3746	10 July 2022
HQ Holdens	Peter Lines	Holden HQ Kingswood	1:26.8479^[15]	15 August 1999
Full Circuit: 3.379 km (1961–1964)^[16]
Formula Libre	Bill Patterson^[a] Lex Davison^[a]	Cooper T51^[a] Cooper T51^[a]	1:44.000	9 October 1961
Sports car racing	David McKay	Elfin Mallala	1:56.900	28 December 1962
Group 1	Bob Jane	Jaguar Mark 2 4.1	1:57.200	15 April 1963

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Both drivers took the same lap time independently on the same race.

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
^ Kemp, Miles (11 May 2017). "SA's No. 1 motorsport fan Sam Shahin plans to improve Mallala Motor Sport Park after buying it". The Advertiser. News Corp. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
^ 1989 ATCC R5 Mallala
^ Natsoft Race Results
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "Austin 7 Club (S.A.) Inc. - Lap Records". www.austin7clubsa.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Mallala - Racing Circuits". Retrieved 18 December 2022.
^ "2021 Adelaide 3 Hour Race - Bradley's Bakery Superbike - Heat 2 - Provisional Classification". 6 March 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Mallala Motorsport Park - Motorcycle Lap Records" (PDF). Retrieved 14 December 2022.
^ "Mallala Motor Sport Park, near Mallala, South Australia, Australia". 31 May 1992. Retrieved 20 December 2024.