1997 ARDC AMSCAR series
Encyclopedia
The 1997 ARDC AMSCAR series was an Australian touring car
series and was run for cars eligible to V8 Supercar
specifications, although the series was not sanctioned by AVESCO. It began on 22 June 1997 at Eastern Creek Raceway
and ended on 7 December at Eastern Creek Raceway
after four rounds.
The series was run by the Australian Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) over the two circuits operated by the club in Sydney
, Australia
. It was the last such series to bear the AMSCAR name having been last run previously during the 1994 season. The series itself dated back to the 1970s, a descendant of the Sydney based Toby Lee touring cars series
.
The 1997 series can be seen as the immediate fore-runner for today's Fujitsu V8 Supercars Series
, acting as a second tier series for touring cars contested by privately owned and funded touring car teams, known colloquially as 'privateers'.
Touring car
A touring car, or tourer, is an open car seating five or more. Touring cars may have two or four doors. Often, the belt line is lowered in the front doors to give the car a more sportive character. They were often fitted with a folding roof and side curtains. Engines on early models were either in...
series and was run for cars eligible to V8 Supercar
V8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...
specifications, although the series was not sanctioned by AVESCO. It began on 22 June 1997 at Eastern Creek Raceway
Eastern Creek Raceway
Eastern Creek International Raceway is a motorsports circuit located on Brabham Drive, Eastern Creek , New South Wales, Australia, adjacent to the Western Sydney International Dragway. It was built and is owned by the New South Wales Government and is operated by the...
and ended on 7 December at Eastern Creek Raceway
Eastern Creek Raceway
Eastern Creek International Raceway is a motorsports circuit located on Brabham Drive, Eastern Creek , New South Wales, Australia, adjacent to the Western Sydney International Dragway. It was built and is owned by the New South Wales Government and is operated by the...
after four rounds.
The series was run by the Australian Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) over the two circuits operated by the club in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It was the last such series to bear the AMSCAR name having been last run previously during the 1994 season. The series itself dated back to the 1970s, a descendant of the Sydney based Toby Lee touring cars series
Toby Lee Series
The Toby Lee Series was an Australian motor racing series run at Oran Park Raceway in Sydney, between 1970 and 1975.In 1970 Oran Park, with backing from sponsors Toby Lee and department store Grace Brothers, launched a new series of races for Group E Series Production sedans...
.
The 1997 series can be seen as the immediate fore-runner for today's Fujitsu V8 Supercars Series
Fujitsu V8 Supercars Series
The Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series is an Australian touring car competition, specifically the second tier series for V8 Supercar competitors. Competing vehicles are older than those utilised in the V8 Supercar Championship series and are run by smaller teams with lower budgets...
, acting as a second tier series for touring cars contested by privately owned and funded touring car teams, known colloquially as 'privateers'.
Teams and drivers
The following drivers and teams competed in the 1997 AMSCAR series. The series consisted of four rounds.| Team | Manufacturer | Car model | No | Drivers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clive Wiseman Racing | Holden Holden GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931... |
VP Commodore Holden VP Commodore The Holden VP Commodore is an automobile which was produced by Australian automaker Holden from 1991 to 1993. It is the seventh generation Holden Commodore.... VS Commodore Holden VS Commodore The Holden VS Commodore, released in 1995, was the ninth model of the Holden Commodore, a large car built by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors. The VS Commodore served as a mechanical update of the second generation architecture, destined to assist sales before the all-new VT model... |
7 |  Mick Donaher |
| Gary Cannan | Holden Holden GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931... |
VL Commodore SSGroupA SV Holden VL Commodore The Holden VL Commodore and Calais were a range of mid-sized cars manufactured between 1986 and 1988 by the General Motors Australian arm, Holden... |
8 | Gary Cannan |
| Simon Emerzidis | Holden Holden GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931... |
VR Commodore Holden VR Commodore The Holden VR Commodore of July 1993 came with an updated, sleeker and more modern design, as well as safety enhancements such as anti-lock brakes . From the side, the biggest change was the use of a round rear wheelarch, instead of a squared-off shape used on the previous VN and VP model Commodores... |
15 | Simon Emerzidis |
| Walden Motorsport Walden Motorsport Walden Motorsport, also known as Walden Racing, run by Brian Walden, is a specialist race car preparation outfit in the West of Sydney. Running in Production Car and Improved Production Car events, they entered the 1997 ARDC AMSCAR series with Brian driving... |
Holden Holden GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931... |
VP Commodore Holden VP Commodore The Holden VP Commodore is an automobile which was produced by Australian automaker Holden from 1991 to 1993. It is the seventh generation Holden Commodore.... |
21 | Brian Walden |
| Tim Slako | Holden Holden GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931... |
VS Commodore Holden VS Commodore The Holden VS Commodore, released in 1995, was the ninth model of the Holden Commodore, a large car built by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors. The VS Commodore served as a mechanical update of the second generation architecture, destined to assist sales before the all-new VT model... |
24 | Tim Slako |
| M3 Motorsport | Holden Holden GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931... |
VP Commodore Holden VP Commodore The Holden VP Commodore is an automobile which was produced by Australian automaker Holden from 1991 to 1993. It is the seventh generation Holden Commodore.... |
26 | Peter Doulman |
| Playscape Racing | Ford Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK... |
EF Falcon Ford EF Falcon The Ford EF Falcon is a full-size car that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company of Australia between 1994 and 1996. A total of 192,100 EF models were produced prior to replacement of the EF by the Ford EL Falcon in 1996.-Introduction and changes:... |
28 | Kevin Waldock |
| Paul Weel Racing | Ford Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK... |
EL Falcon Ford EL Falcon The Ford EL Falcon is a full-size car that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company of Australia between 1996 and 1998. The EL Falcon served as the final chapter of the fifth generation "E-series" architecture, which began with the EA of 1988. Ford discontinued the car in 1998, and replaced it... |
31 | Paul Weel Paul Weel Paul Weel born 27 July 1979 in Geelong, Victoria, was an Australian V8 Supercar racing driver. He raced 12 seasons in V8 Supercars with a best finish of 3rd in Adelaide 2003. His best enduro finish was a 5th at the 2002 Queensland 500 and best Bathurst finish was 8th in 1999... |
| West Coast Racing | Ford Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK... |
EL Falcon Ford EL Falcon The Ford EL Falcon is a full-size car that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company of Australia between 1996 and 1998. The EL Falcon served as the final chapter of the fifth generation "E-series" architecture, which began with the EA of 1988. Ford discontinued the car in 1998, and replaced it... |
32 | Allan McCarthy |
| Pro-Duct Racing | Holden Holden GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931... |
VS Commodore Holden VS Commodore The Holden VS Commodore, released in 1995, was the ninth model of the Holden Commodore, a large car built by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors. The VS Commodore served as a mechanical update of the second generation architecture, destined to assist sales before the all-new VT model... |
33 | Bob Pearson |
| Schembri Motorsport | Holden Holden GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931... |
VS Commodore Holden VS Commodore The Holden VS Commodore, released in 1995, was the ninth model of the Holden Commodore, a large car built by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors. The VS Commodore served as a mechanical update of the second generation architecture, destined to assist sales before the all-new VT model... |
36 | Neil Schembri |
| Scotty Taylor Racing | Holden Holden GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931... |
VP Commodore Holden VP Commodore The Holden VP Commodore is an automobile which was produced by Australian automaker Holden from 1991 to 1993. It is the seventh generation Holden Commodore.... |
37 | Bill Attard Scotty Taylor |
| Garry Willmington Performance | Ford Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK... |
EB Falcon Ford EB Falcon The Ford EB Falcon is a car which was produced by the Ford Motor Company in Australia between 1991 and 1993.Visually the 1991 EB remained nearly identical to its predecessor. The most noticeable change was the transfer of the Ford emblem from the tip of the bonnet to the grille... |
41 | Garry Willmington |
| Mal Rose Racing | Holden Holden GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931... |
VS Commodore Holden VS Commodore The Holden VS Commodore, released in 1995, was the ninth model of the Holden Commodore, a large car built by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors. The VS Commodore served as a mechanical update of the second generation architecture, destined to assist sales before the all-new VT model... |
44 | Mal Rose |
| V8Racing | Holden Holden GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931... |
VP Commodore Holden VP Commodore The Holden VP Commodore is an automobile which was produced by Australian automaker Holden from 1991 to 1993. It is the seventh generation Holden Commodore.... |
77 | Richard Mork |
| Cadillac Productions | Ford Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK... |
EB Falcon Ford EB Falcon The Ford EB Falcon is a car which was produced by the Ford Motor Company in Australia between 1991 and 1993.Visually the 1991 EB remained nearly identical to its predecessor. The most noticeable change was the transfer of the Ford emblem from the tip of the bonnet to the grille... |
79 | Mike Conway |
| Holden Holden GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931... |
VP Commodore Holden VP Commodore The Holden VP Commodore is an automobile which was produced by Australian automaker Holden from 1991 to 1993. It is the seventh generation Holden Commodore.... |
92 | Gavin Monaghan |
|
| Don Pulver | Holden Holden GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931... |
VP Commodore Holden VP Commodore The Holden VP Commodore is an automobile which was produced by Australian automaker Holden from 1991 to 1993. It is the seventh generation Holden Commodore.... |
88 | Don Pulver |
| Geoff Kendrick | Holden Holden GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931... |
VS Commodore Holden VS Commodore The Holden VS Commodore, released in 1995, was the ninth model of the Holden Commodore, a large car built by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors. The VS Commodore served as a mechanical update of the second generation architecture, destined to assist sales before the all-new VT model... |
92 | Geoff Kendrick |
| Shaun Walker | Holden Holden GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931... |
VS Commodore Holden VS Commodore The Holden VS Commodore, released in 1995, was the ninth model of the Holden Commodore, a large car built by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors. The VS Commodore served as a mechanical update of the second generation architecture, destined to assist sales before the all-new VT model... |
99 | Shaun Walker |
Race Calendar
The 1997 AMSCAR season consisted of 4 rounds.| Rd. | Race Title | Circuit | City / State | Date | Winner | Team | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern Creek |
Eastern Creek Raceway Eastern Creek Raceway Eastern Creek International Raceway is a motorsports circuit located on Brabham Drive, Eastern Creek , New South Wales, Australia, adjacent to the Western Sydney International Dragway. It was built and is owned by the New South Wales Government and is operated by the... |
Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... , New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales... |
21 - 22 Jun | Allan McCarthy | West Coast Racing | |
| 2 | Amaroo Park |
Amaroo Park Amaroo Park Amaroo Park was a motor racing circuit located in Annangrove, New South Wales, in the present-day western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. It opened in 1967, hosting its first motorcycle meeting on 26 February with a 30 lap production race won by Larry Simons on a BSA Spitfire in heavy rain. The... |
Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... , New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales... |
19 - 20 Jul | Mal Rose | Mal Rose Racing | |
| 3 | Eastern Creek |
Eastern Creek Raceway Eastern Creek Raceway Eastern Creek International Raceway is a motorsports circuit located on Brabham Drive, Eastern Creek , New South Wales, Australia, adjacent to the Western Sydney International Dragway. It was built and is owned by the New South Wales Government and is operated by the... |
Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... , New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales... |
30 - 31 Aug | Mal Rose | Mal Rose Racing | |
| 4 | Eastern Creek |
Eastern Creek Raceway Eastern Creek Raceway Eastern Creek International Raceway is a motorsports circuit located on Brabham Drive, Eastern Creek , New South Wales, Australia, adjacent to the Western Sydney International Dragway. It was built and is owned by the New South Wales Government and is operated by the... |
Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... , New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales... |
21 - 22 Jun | Mick Donaher | Clive Wiseman Racing | |
Drivers Championship
Points were allocated 18-14-11-9-7-5-4-3-2-1 according to top ten race position in each race with three races being held per round.EWLINE
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