Canberra 400
Encyclopedia
The Canberra 400, also known as both the GMC 400, Stegbar Canberra 400 and in its infancy, National Capital 100 was a V8 Supercar
race run on the streets
of Australia
's capital, Canberra
.
, for the first time in 2000 after the then Shell
Championship Series and its governing body AVESCO
, now V8SA offered Canberra
a five-year opportunity to stage a round of the V8 Supercars. The race was to be run inside the Parliamentary Triangle
which created some debate in the media about the appropriateness of the event for Canberra in general, and for the zone in particular. In 1999 the then Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory
, Kate Carnell
put forward the idea to the ACT Legislative Assembly. The Assembly voted to stage the event, with the only opposition coming from the Greens Party
who believed that the race would create both air and noise pollution.
The Assembly voted to appropriate AU
$4.5million in capital works and AU
$2.5million for recurrent expenditure over five years to operate the event. This included the creation and removal of the concrete barriers that lined the circuit. Canberra Tourism and Events Corporation (CTEC) were given the responsibility of delivering the GMC 400 on time and within budget . The ACT Government perceived the following benefits of holding the event:
• attracting approximately 50,000 spectators in its first year;
• a rise in room occupancy rates of 12 percentage points with associated
benefits to restaurants, retail and transport sectors;
• the creation of 150 full or part-time job equivalents;
• publicity for the national capital with the race being seen by 2.25 million
national viewers and an estimated 85 million people internationally;
• publicity value in the first year of $5.5 million; and
• an estimated $52million in economic benefit over a five year period
After in first race in 2000, Canberra Tourism and Events Corporation conducted a survey of event spectators and participants to determine the economic impact of the event. Media coverage, noise impact, and environmental management were also reported on. A total of 57,495 tickets to the event were sold, exceeding the expectation of 50,000. According to CTEC, the accommodation sector experienced the highest occupancy rate ever recorded during the month of June, a relatively quiet period for tourism in Canberra. This was recorded over a time when room stocks had increased by 7.4% over the previous year.
Results from CTEC's visitor and participant surveys suggest that interstate visitors spent AU
$4.3 million while in Canberra
, and team members spent approximately AU
$834,486. It is also reported that the GMC 400 put over $4 million into Canberra and regional business through locally let contracts. CTEC also commissioned an independent analysis of media coverage on race days. It is estimated that race day coverage in Australia
and New Zealand
lasted for approximately 10 hours and reached an audience of 1,633,000. The event featured on 18 news programmes reaching a total audience of 7,630.
Saturday saw the Top 15 Shootout in which the top 15 cars from Qualifying would do one 'Hot lap' of the circuit. The 15th placed car would go out first, with the 1st placed car going out last. The top 15 places on the grid for Race 1 are determined by the lap times from the hot laps. Later in the day, cars would grid up for the 25 lap (100 km) Race 1. During this race the cars must make a tyre stop which means that all cars must enter the pits between laps 2 and 20 and stop in their pit bay. During this stop the pit crew must take off all 4 tyres and either replace them for new ones, or place the old ones flat on the ground and then put them back on the car. Racing cars are at their best with hot sticky tyres. Most teams, because of the cold that Canberra experiences during June, placed the old tyres back on the car, because the tyres would have already been warm from the previous laps that had just run, rather than put cold, new tyre onto the car.
Pitstops during the races in Canberra were usually somewhat of a procession, in that most if not all cars came in at the same time, usually on lap 3. This would result in a crowded pitlane where the possibility of an accident occurring was very high. The cause of most cars coming in so early was the safety car. During these races if the safety car was brought onto the track, the pitlane would close. This meant that cars would not be able to enter to make a pitstop. Drivers were worried that a safety car would appear sometime during the race and if they hadn't made a pitstop yet, they would drop to the back of the drivers who had made a pitstop. CAMS and AVESCO realised that this could cause an accident, so for the 2001 race, they changed the pitlane speed limit from 60 km/h to 40 km/h and introduced an electronic speed limiter to all cars.
Sunday morning saw the 25 lap (100 km) Race 2 and the first 'Reverse Grid' ever to be used in V8 Supercar
racing. A reverse grid means the car that finished in 1st place in Race 1 would start last in Race 2 and the car that finished last in Race 1 would start 1st in Race 2. Those cars that DNF or did not finish start from the rear of grid. The introduction of the reverse grid was to create overtaking from faster cars at the back to slower cars at the front, which would be entertaining to the viewers. The problem with a reverse grid, especially on a street circuit is the high possibility of cars getting damaged from fast cars trying to overtake slow cars. Race 2 saw the same tyre stop rules that were applied in Race 1.
Race 3 was a 50 lap (200 km) and started late on Sunday afternoon. The grid for Race 3 was decided by adding the points awarded in Race 1 with the points awarded in Race 2. Race 3 not only had a tyre stop between laps 2 and 40, but also a fuel stop. This meant that all cars had to enter and stop in pitlane and have their cars filled up with petrol also between laps 2 and 40. The driver to have the most amount of points at the end of the weekend is the winner of the Canberra 400.
was selling the idea of a V8 Supercar
race in Canberra
, Holden
Racing Team driver Mark Skaife
was given the job of designing the circuit. He was told that it was to be run inside the Parliamentary Triangle
. What he came up with was a 3.9 km track with 15 turns.
Pit straight was chosen on Langton Crescent which runs alongside the Treasury Building, with the pits being set up in the parallel car park. Cars would head in a south direction to turn 1. Turn 1 is considered to be the hardest corner in Australia
, at the start of a race. The right hand turn was very tight and narrow which caused cars to touch bumper to bumper as they ran through the corner. This would usually result in damaged cars.
Turn 2 was a long sweeping left-hander onto Queen Victoria Terrace, past the West Block Government Offices. This corner had a blind exit, with driver holding their breath hoping that the track was clear on the other side.
The turn 3, 4, 5 and 6 complex was referred to by the drivers as the 'Bus Stop' in reference to the Bus Stop chicane which is a similar set of corners at the Belgium circuit Spa
. It was also known as the 'Flip-Flop'. Cars would go through a quick right-left-straight-left-right, past the Old Parliament House
, before heading towards turns 7 and 8 past the National Archives and the East Block Government Offices.
Turn 9 was a right-hander turn onto Kings Avenue
and the first real straight on the circuit. The cars would then turn right again at turn 10 onto State Circle running in front of the new Parliament House
. As the name suggests, State Circle is a full circular road, with the cars continuously turning left, running under the overhead bridges at a top speed of 250 km/h.
Turn 11 was another right-hander onto Flynn
Drive. This corner was the only real possible overtaking spot on the track. There was also the possibility of over shooting the corner due to the high entry speed. Cars would then run passed the Chinese Embassy towards the roundabout at Turn 12. Cars then continued along Flynn Drive, passed the Hyatt Hotel Canberra
.
Turn 13 was a right-left chicane, called the Canberra
Complex, turning into Flynn
Place. This corner was taken in 1st gear which is almost unheard of in other circuits in Australia
. Cars then entered the turn 14 and 15 section which is a continuous sweeping right-hander, past Lake Burley Griffin
and under Commonwealth Avenue
bridge before running past the National Library of Australia
and back onto Langton Crescent and past the start/finish line.
The lap record for the Canberra Street Circuit was set on 10 June 2001 when Simon Wills drove his Reynard 94D
Formula Holden
around the 3.9 km track in 1:39.5409.
's Liberal Government
was replaced in 2001 by Jon Stanhope
's Labor Government
. The new Chief Minister
allowed the race to run in 2002, but decided to pull the plug for the 2003 race. The main reason given for the cancellation of the contract was the amount of money being spent on the race. Kate Carnell
's initial estimation on cost blew out as the years went on, and some Canberrans believed that this money was better spent elsewhere. The race wasn't making as much money as had been expected. The motels and hotels around Canberra were full and having the best winter period ever, but the crowd at the track dropped from 101,000 in 2000 to 89,000 in 2002. This was put down the time of year and the weather. In Canberra, in June the temperature can become lower than 5°C during the day. To most Canberrans this is just a normal winter, but to interstate visitors who weren't used to such cold conditions, it was too cold.
There was talk about moving the race to a warmer part of the year, but it never materialised. Some businessmen in the Canberra
district of Tuggeranong
even designed their own layout for the V8 Supercars to run on around the Tuggeranong Town Centre
, in an effort to boost business, but this also never eventuated.
Today there are still reminders of the V8's short history in Canberra with tyre skid marks and painted racing lines still visible on the narrow, yet challenging roads they raced on.
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...
race run on the streets
Street circuit
A street circuit is a racing circuit composed by temporarily closed-off public roads of a city, town or village, used in motor races. Facilities such as the paddock, pit boxes, fences and grandstands are usually placed temporarily and removed soon after the race is over but in modern times the...
of 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...
's capital, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
.
Getting Started
The race only had a short life, running from 2000 – 2002 over the Queen's Birthday holiday weekend in June. The inaugural race, titled the GMC 400, was staged in CanberraCanberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, for the first time in 2000 after the then Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
Championship Series and its governing body AVESCO
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...
, now V8SA offered Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
a five-year opportunity to stage a round of the V8 Supercars. The race was to be run inside the Parliamentary Triangle
Parliamentary Triangle, Canberra
The Parliamentary Triangle is the ceremonial precinct of Canberra, containing some of Australia's most significant buildings. The triangle is formed by Commonwealth, Kings and Constitution avenues...
which created some debate in the media about the appropriateness of the event for Canberra in general, and for the zone in particular. In 1999 the then Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory
Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory
The Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory is the head of government of the Australian Capital Territory. The leader of party with the largest representation of seats in the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly usually takes on the role...
, Kate Carnell
Kate Carnell
Anne Katherine Carnell AO was the third Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory, serving from 1995 to 2000. She is currently Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Food and Grocery Council.-Pharmacy career:...
put forward the idea to the ACT Legislative Assembly. The Assembly voted to stage the event, with the only opposition coming from the Greens Party
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
who believed that the race would create both air and noise pollution.
The Assembly voted to appropriate AU
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
$4.5million in capital works and AU
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
$2.5million for recurrent expenditure over five years to operate the event. This included the creation and removal of the concrete barriers that lined the circuit. Canberra Tourism and Events Corporation (CTEC) were given the responsibility of delivering the GMC 400 on time and within budget . The ACT Government perceived the following benefits of holding the event:
• attracting approximately 50,000 spectators in its first year;
• a rise in room occupancy rates of 12 percentage points with associated
benefits to restaurants, retail and transport sectors;
• the creation of 150 full or part-time job equivalents;
• publicity for the national capital with the race being seen by 2.25 million
national viewers and an estimated 85 million people internationally;
• publicity value in the first year of $5.5 million; and
• an estimated $52million in economic benefit over a five year period
After in first race in 2000, Canberra Tourism and Events Corporation conducted a survey of event spectators and participants to determine the economic impact of the event. Media coverage, noise impact, and environmental management were also reported on. A total of 57,495 tickets to the event were sold, exceeding the expectation of 50,000. According to CTEC, the accommodation sector experienced the highest occupancy rate ever recorded during the month of June, a relatively quiet period for tourism in Canberra. This was recorded over a time when room stocks had increased by 7.4% over the previous year.
Results from CTEC's visitor and participant surveys suggest that interstate visitors spent AU
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
$4.3 million while in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, and team members spent approximately AU
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
$834,486. It is also reported that the GMC 400 put over $4 million into Canberra and regional business through locally let contracts. CTEC also commissioned an independent analysis of media coverage on race days. It is estimated that race day coverage in 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...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
lasted for approximately 10 hours and reached an audience of 1,633,000. The event featured on 18 news programmes reaching a total audience of 7,630.
The Race Meeting
The Canberra 400 was run over 3 days, from Friday to Sunday. Friday started out with two 45mins practice sessions for the V8 Supercars to be able to create a set-up that suited both the cars and the track. Later, the cars took to the track for Qualifying, which consisted of two sessions, the lower 50% and the upper 50%. Drivers were split into two groups which were determined by times from both practice sessions earlier in the day. The upper 50% went out first for 20mins to set the best time they could. After a 5min break, the lower 50% also went out for 20mins to set times. The best times from both sessions were added together. The top 15 would go into the Top 15 Shootout, while 16th place onwards would start Race 1 in those positions.Saturday saw the Top 15 Shootout in which the top 15 cars from Qualifying would do one 'Hot lap' of the circuit. The 15th placed car would go out first, with the 1st placed car going out last. The top 15 places on the grid for Race 1 are determined by the lap times from the hot laps. Later in the day, cars would grid up for the 25 lap (100 km) Race 1. During this race the cars must make a tyre stop which means that all cars must enter the pits between laps 2 and 20 and stop in their pit bay. During this stop the pit crew must take off all 4 tyres and either replace them for new ones, or place the old ones flat on the ground and then put them back on the car. Racing cars are at their best with hot sticky tyres. Most teams, because of the cold that Canberra experiences during June, placed the old tyres back on the car, because the tyres would have already been warm from the previous laps that had just run, rather than put cold, new tyre onto the car.
Pitstops during the races in Canberra were usually somewhat of a procession, in that most if not all cars came in at the same time, usually on lap 3. This would result in a crowded pitlane where the possibility of an accident occurring was very high. The cause of most cars coming in so early was the safety car. During these races if the safety car was brought onto the track, the pitlane would close. This meant that cars would not be able to enter to make a pitstop. Drivers were worried that a safety car would appear sometime during the race and if they hadn't made a pitstop yet, they would drop to the back of the drivers who had made a pitstop. CAMS and AVESCO realised that this could cause an accident, so for the 2001 race, they changed the pitlane speed limit from 60 km/h to 40 km/h and introduced an electronic speed limiter to all cars.
Sunday morning saw the 25 lap (100 km) Race 2 and the first 'Reverse Grid' ever to be used in 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...
racing. A reverse grid means the car that finished in 1st place in Race 1 would start last in Race 2 and the car that finished last in Race 1 would start 1st in Race 2. Those cars that DNF or did not finish start from the rear of grid. The introduction of the reverse grid was to create overtaking from faster cars at the back to slower cars at the front, which would be entertaining to the viewers. The problem with a reverse grid, especially on a street circuit is the high possibility of cars getting damaged from fast cars trying to overtake slow cars. Race 2 saw the same tyre stop rules that were applied in Race 1.
Race 3 was a 50 lap (200 km) and started late on Sunday afternoon. The grid for Race 3 was decided by adding the points awarded in Race 1 with the points awarded in Race 2. Race 3 not only had a tyre stop between laps 2 and 40, but also a fuel stop. This meant that all cars had to enter and stop in pitlane and have their cars filled up with petrol also between laps 2 and 40. The driver to have the most amount of points at the end of the weekend is the winner of the Canberra 400.
The Track
While the ACT GovernmentAustralian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory...
was selling the idea of a 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...
race in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, 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...
Racing Team driver Mark Skaife
Mark Skaife
Mark Stephen Skaife OAM is an Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five time winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor the Australian Touring Car Championship. He is also a six-time winner of Australia's most prestigious domestic motor race, the Bathurst 1000...
was given the job of designing the circuit. He was told that it was to be run inside the Parliamentary Triangle
Parliamentary Triangle, Canberra
The Parliamentary Triangle is the ceremonial precinct of Canberra, containing some of Australia's most significant buildings. The triangle is formed by Commonwealth, Kings and Constitution avenues...
. What he came up with was a 3.9 km track with 15 turns.
Pit straight was chosen on Langton Crescent which runs alongside the Treasury Building, with the pits being set up in the parallel car park. Cars would head in a south direction to turn 1. Turn 1 is considered to be the hardest corner in 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...
, at the start of a race. The right hand turn was very tight and narrow which caused cars to touch bumper to bumper as they ran through the corner. This would usually result in damaged cars.
Turn 2 was a long sweeping left-hander onto Queen Victoria Terrace, past the West Block Government Offices. This corner had a blind exit, with driver holding their breath hoping that the track was clear on the other side.
The turn 3, 4, 5 and 6 complex was referred to by the drivers as the 'Bus Stop' in reference to the Bus Stop chicane which is a similar set of corners at the Belgium circuit Spa
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hours endurance race. It is also home to the all Volkswagen club event, 25 Hours of Spa, run by the Uniroyal Fun Cup. It is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its...
. It was also known as the 'Flip-Flop'. Cars would go through a quick right-left-straight-left-right, past the Old Parliament House
Old Parliament House, Canberra
Old Parliament House, known formerly as the Provisional Parliament House, was the house of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988. The building began operation on 9 May 1927 as a temporary base for the Commonwealth Parliament after its relocation from Melbourne to the new capital, Canberra,...
, before heading towards turns 7 and 8 past the National Archives and the East Block Government Offices.
Turn 9 was a right-hander turn onto Kings Avenue
Kings Avenue, Canberra
Kings Avenue is a road in Canberra which goes between New Parliament House , across Lake Burley Griffin at the Kings Avenue Bridge , to Russell near the Australian-American Monument ....
and the first real straight on the circuit. The cars would then turn right again at turn 10 onto State Circle running in front of the new Parliament House
Parliament House, Canberra
Parliament House is the meeting facility of the Parliament of Australia located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. The building was designed by Mitchell/Giurgola Architects and opened on 1988 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia...
. As the name suggests, State Circle is a full circular road, with the cars continuously turning left, running under the overhead bridges at a top speed of 250 km/h.
Turn 11 was another right-hander onto Flynn
John Flynn
John Flynn may refer to:*John Flynn , professional baseball player*John Flynn , American film director*John Flynn , Irish footballer...
Drive. This corner was the only real possible overtaking spot on the track. There was also the possibility of over shooting the corner due to the high entry speed. Cars would then run passed the Chinese Embassy towards the roundabout at Turn 12. Cars then continued along Flynn Drive, passed the Hyatt Hotel Canberra
Hotel Canberra
The Hotel Canberra, also known as Hyatt Hotel Canberra is in Yarralumla, near Lake Burley Griffin and Parliament House, in Canberra. It was built to house politicians when the Federal Parliament moved to Canberra. It was constructed by the contractor John Howie between 1922-1925. Originally...
.
Turn 13 was a right-left chicane, called the Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
Complex, turning into Flynn
John Flynn (minister)
John Flynn OBE was an Australian Presbyterian minister who founded the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the world's first air ambulance.-Biography:...
Place. This corner was taken in 1st gear which is almost unheard of in other circuits in 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...
. Cars then entered the turn 14 and 15 section which is a continuous sweeping right-hander, past Lake Burley Griffin
Lake Burley Griffin
Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was completed in 1963 after the Molonglo River—which ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle—was dammed...
and under Commonwealth Avenue
Commonwealth Avenue, Canberra
Commonwealth Avenue is a major road in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. It connects Civic with South Canberra. Specifically, it runs between City Hill and Capital Hill....
bridge before running past the National Library of Australia
National Library of Australia
The National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
and back onto Langton Crescent and past the start/finish line.
The lap record for the Canberra Street Circuit was set on 10 June 2001 when Simon Wills drove his Reynard 94D
Reynard Motorsport
Reynard Motorsport was at one time the world's largest racing car manufacturer. Initially based at Bicester and latterly at Reynard Park, Brackley, England the company built successful cars in Formula Ford 1600, Formula Ford 2000, Formula Vauxhall Lotus, Formula Three, Formula 3000 and Indy...
Formula Holden
Formula Holden
Formula Holden was an Australian open wheel racing category.-History:Known during its development as Formula Australia, it was initially for chassis constructed from aluminium only, running a 3.8 litre Buick V6 engine as it was then utilised in the new versions of the Holden Commodore...
around the 3.9 km track in 1:39.5409.
Winners
| Year | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Steven Richards Steven Richards Steven Richards is a New Zealand racing driver, currently competing in the with the team. He previously raced in the V8 Supercar series for Ford Performance Racing.... |
Kmart Racing Team Gibson Motor Sport Gibson Motor Sport was an Australian motor racing team. Originally established by Howard Marsden as the in-house factory Nissan motorsport operation, the team later passed into the ownership of Fred Gibson., who had won the 1967 Bathurst 500 as a driver, sharing with Harry Firth. In 1993 the team... (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... ) |
| 2001 | Steven Johnson Steven Johnson (motor racing) Steven Johnson is an Australian V8 Supercar racing driver. He is the son of former racer and now team-owner Dick Johnson. He has competed full-time for Dick Johnson Racing since 2000... |
Dick Johnson Racing Dick Johnson Racing Dick Johnson Racing is Australia's oldest operating motor racing team. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team has won seven Australian Touring Car Championship titles and has taken three victories in Australia's hallmark race, the Bathurst 1000... (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... ) |
| 2002 | Mark Skaife Mark Skaife Mark Stephen Skaife OAM is an Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five time winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor the Australian Touring Car Championship. He is also a six-time winner of Australia's most prestigious domestic motor race, the Bathurst 1000... |
Holden Racing Team Holden Racing Team The Holden Racing Team is a Melbourne based motor racing team. HRT is the most successful V8 Supercar racing team in the history of the category, having won the drivers championship six times, and the series signature race the Bathurst 1000 seven times... (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... ) |
Downfall
Unfortunately, the Canberra 400 only lasted 3 of its 5 year contract. Gary HumphriesGary Humphries
Gary John Joseph Humphries has been a member of the Australian Senate representing the Australian Capital Territory for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2003...
's Liberal Government
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
was replaced in 2001 by Jon Stanhope
Jon Stanhope
Jonathan Ronald Stanhope is a former Australian politician who was Labor Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 2001 to 2011. Stanhope represented the Ginninderra electorate in the ACT Legislative Assembly from 1998 until 2011. He resigned as Chief Minister on 12 May 2011 and as...
's Labor Government
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
. The new Chief Minister
Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory
The Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory is the head of government of the Australian Capital Territory. The leader of party with the largest representation of seats in the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly usually takes on the role...
allowed the race to run in 2002, but decided to pull the plug for the 2003 race. The main reason given for the cancellation of the contract was the amount of money being spent on the race. Kate Carnell
Kate Carnell
Anne Katherine Carnell AO was the third Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory, serving from 1995 to 2000. She is currently Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Food and Grocery Council.-Pharmacy career:...
's initial estimation on cost blew out as the years went on, and some Canberrans believed that this money was better spent elsewhere. The race wasn't making as much money as had been expected. The motels and hotels around Canberra were full and having the best winter period ever, but the crowd at the track dropped from 101,000 in 2000 to 89,000 in 2002. This was put down the time of year and the weather. In Canberra, in June the temperature can become lower than 5°C during the day. To most Canberrans this is just a normal winter, but to interstate visitors who weren't used to such cold conditions, it was too cold.
There was talk about moving the race to a warmer part of the year, but it never materialised. Some businessmen in the Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
district of Tuggeranong
Tuggeranong
Tuggeranong is the southernmost town centre of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. It comprises 19 suburbs with a total of 31,819 dwellings, housing 87,119 people of the 324,034 people in the Australian Capital Territory . The district occupies 117 square kilometres to the east of the...
even designed their own layout for the V8 Supercars to run on around the Tuggeranong Town Centre
Tuggeranong Town Centre
Tuggeranong Town Centre services the southernmost Canberra district of Tuggeranong. It is located on the south-western side of Lake Tuggeranong and composed of a large three-storey mall, the Tuggeranong Hyperdome, as well as a smaller shopping complex, the Homeworld, and many other buildings and...
, in an effort to boost business, but this also never eventuated.
Today there are still reminders of the V8's short history in Canberra with tyre skid marks and painted racing lines still visible on the narrow, yet challenging roads they raced on.