Australian Championship status

[Falcadore]

Something that has slipped my mind, Luek West in Auto Action made comment of this recently but there are just a handful of series which winners can formally claim to be Australian Champions as opposed to other series which have National Title or National Series status.

Can't remember but I think the Australian Championships are:
Australian Drivers' Championship (Formula 3)
V8 Supercar
Formula Ford
Superkarts
Rally
Hillclimb

I think Motorkhana?
And I think the new Targa Tarmac Rally series?

Any others?

[Holly Wood]

In terms of circuit racing, the Australian Manufacturers Championship and the Australian GT Championship spring to mind...

[racer69]

One could wonder whether the V8s are a championship or a series

In recent years some classes have dropped their Championship status, one would assume for registration reasons, like Saloon Cars and previously Sports Sedans

[NewsStalker]

AFAICR V8's ARE a series and no longer a Championship.

[Jacal]

Originally Posted by racer69

One could wonder whether the V8s are a championship or a series

In recent years some classes have dropped their Championship status, one would assume for registration reasons, like Saloon Cars and previously Sports Sedans

Or is it like state level where apparently (very good source) if the same number of competitors enter an event of the same distance at the same track as a "championship" rather than a "series" the insurance from CAMS costs twice as much.

Either racing in a championship is more risky than racing in a series or maybe insurance and administration charges are charged an amount per letter in the title.

[racer69]

Originally Posted by Jacal

Either racing in a championship is more risky than racing in a series or maybe insurance and administration charges are charged an amount per letter in the title.

That is the case as far as i know, it costs you (or the category management more precisely, who pass the costs onto the competitors) more for "championship" status than Series status


We've come along way from when it was CAMS who would put the Championships on, rather than sell (or perhaps the precise word is whore?) the category management rights in return for a $, and if no one pays then the title dies....

[RotorFan]

So this reinforces then, winning Bathurst for example doesn't make you a "Champion". The words "Bathurst Champion" etc are overused.

It seems to me that a winner of the v8 "series" could only claim to be a champion by virtue of winning the ATCC.

[Axeman444]

so if you win Bathurst, do you win the Bathurst series for that year?

[NewsStalker]

I guess if you win first, second and third practice sessions, qualifying, top ten shoot out and then the race - yes, you would be the Bathurst Champion for that year

[XW GT]

Originally Posted by racer69

One could wonder whether the V8s are a championship or a series

In recent years some classes have dropped their Championship status, one would assume for registration reasons, like Saloon Cars and previously Sports Sedans

The Saloon Car category dropped the Championship status for several reasons i.e.
The CAMS criteria to run at Championship events did not allow "P" plate drivers to compete.
The Championship had to have a certain number of rounds (8) carried out in a certain number (4) of different states.
Substantial CAMS Category Management Agreement (CMA) fees were part of the deal.
A minimum number of cars (20) had to compete at each round or the Championship status would/may be withdrawn.
There were other monetary penalties written into the CAMS CMA for non-compliance to the CAMS criteria.

Although these conditions may have changed in the past few years, you can see how difficult it was for an entry level category such as Saloon Cars to have an Australian Championship.
Changing to Australian Series status gave the provisional licence holders the opportunity to compete at the same race meetings in the same cars as was available for the Championship.

CAMS management fees still apply.

[NewsStalker]

Originally Posted by XW GT

Although these conditions may have changed in the past few years, you can see how difficult it was for an entry level category such as Saloon Cars to have an Australian Championship.
Changing to Australian Series status gave the provisional licence holders the opportunity to compete at the same race meetings in the same cars as was available for the Championship.

Despite categories such as this usually putting more competitors on the track and much better racing than the so-called 'national championships' (eg F/Ford, V8's)

[hml2777]

Originally Posted by XW GT

The Saloon Car category dropped the Championship status for several reasons i.e.
The CAMS criteria to run at Championship events did not allow "P" plate drivers to compete.
The Championship had to have a certain number of rounds (8) carried out in a certain number (4) of different states.
Substantial CAMS Category Management Agreement (CMA) fees were part of the deal.
A minimum number of cars (20) had to compete at each round or the Championship status would/may be withdrawn.
There were other monetary penalties written into the CAMS CMA for non-compliance to the CAMS criteria.

Although these conditions may have changed in the past few years, you can see how difficult it was for an entry level category such as Saloon Cars to have an Australian Championship.
Changing to Australian Series status gave the provisional licence holders the opportunity to compete at the same race meetings in the same cars as was available for the Championship.

CAMS management fees still apply.

As was once quoted "ahhh CAMS,the Conspiracy Against Motor Sport"

[scuderus]

Australian Supersprint Championship.

Although I was the inaugural winner (2008) I will conceed that in its current structure its probably the easiest of all championships to win - All it takes is one good lap at the annual supersprint nationals!

[lala1980]

Carrera Cup tried to introduce reversal of the top 6/8/10 at one stage and got knocked back by CAMS because it was a National Championship. so much for thinking outside the square by the national body.......

[Holly Wood]

Seeing that the AMC/APCA/APCC have run handicap races while being a national championship, that sounds a bit odd...