1987 South Pacific Touring Car Championship

[racer69]

The Touring Car support race for the 1987 Australian Grand Prix at Adelaide was billed as Round 1 of the 1987 South Pacific Touring Car Championship, now i ask, where was round 2 (and other subsequent rounds?)

The World Touring Car Championship rounds in the Southern hemisphere had already been held at Bathurst, Calder and Wellington, and the final round of the WTCC was held the same weekend as the '87 AGP at Fuji, Japan, so obviously none of them are part of the championship. The next time that i know of the Touring Cars appearing again was for Round 1 of the '88 ATCC at Calder.

So do we assume Dick Johnson in the Shell Sierra was the 1987 SPTCC, because he won the Adelaide race?

[William Dale Jr]

Where did you see that?

The only South Pacific Touring Car Championship I remember was in 1988, but I think that was called the Asia-Pacific TCC. That was FISA's attempt at giving Bathurst and Wellington international Group A races after the demise of the WTCC - although very few international teams came out to compete. The championship was to comprise four rounds, but Macau pulled out before the championship began, leaving rounds at the Tooheys 1000 at Bathurst, the Nissan-Mobil 500 at Wellington and the Fuji 1000k. I think the 500k race at Pukekohe could have also been a round. IIRC, Andrew Miedecke was the only Aussie to compete in all of the races. It was a bit of a joke to call the whole thing a 'championship'; it had no support and no-one paid too much attention to it. Plus it forced Bathurst to be an FISA-sanctioned race, causing no end of disputes, almost a repeat of 1987 - but that's another story.

[kmchow]

The Asia Pacific Touring Car series started as a one off race in '86, '87-'93 (don't know much history during these years), became a ST series in '94 under FIA sanction, renamed South East Asia Touring Car Zone Challenge (SEATCZC) in '95 hoping to attract more ST cars and regional nature of series, finally becoming Asia Touring Car Championship (ATCC) in '01. It really looks like the ATCC in '02 as it travels to many tracks. Too bad the grids still haven't improved significantly.

Here's a short history.
http://www.afos.com/afsdox/seatczc/profile.html

I managed to piece together the history by checking out the above website as well as looking through my Touring Car World annuals over the past 8 years.

The series always struggled to attract enough grids for ST cars. It averaged only 6 cars per a race over the years. I don't think they ever had more than 15 car grids. And the 15 car grid only occurred during the Macau Guia Grand Prix race. Sadly, it never really became the regional series it deserves to be.

[racer69]

William Dale Jnr - I have a copy of the Auto Action and Racing Car News from 1987 covering the 1987 AGP, and when they review the Touring Car race they mention that it is the first round of the 1987 South Pacific Touring Car championship and in both article's they mention the lack of international competitors and the fact that no one knew where round 2 would be held. Maybe it was scrapped?

In 1988 there was an Asia-Pacific Touring Car Championship as you mention (actually that was going to be my next question ), there was also meant to be a round on the combined oval/road course at Calder Park just like 1987, a week after Bathurst, but Bob Jane cancelled as he through dealing with FISA. I'm not sure if a champion was crowned, As you say by then most organisers (Bathurst, Wellington etc..) where sick of FISA.

kmchow - The South East Asian Touring Car Zone Challenge (going by what i interpreted on the website) is a totally different series from the Asia-Pacific Championships. As far as i know the next A-Pac championship to be attempted after the ill fated 1988 one was the 1994/1995 summer series. There were rounds at Wellington and Pukekohe in New Zealand, plus some others elsewhere, there was meant to be an Australian round, firstly at Albert Park as a test run for the 1996 AGP, then at Calder, but it was canned due to a lack of entries. The entries to the Wellington round (the only one i have record of, 1994 MN) has 2 Schnitzer BMW's for Soper and Winkelhock, two Motorola BMW's for Tim Harvey and Justin Bell, two Diet Coke BMW's for Paul Morris and Geoff Brabham, Colin Bond in a factory Hyundai, plus others. It was run to ST rules, but i don't believe has been run since.

I think the SEATCZC has changed it's name to the Asian Touring Car Championship as well?

[William Dale Jr]

I can only assume that in calling it the 'South Pacific Touring Car Championhsip' they were trying to line up meetings in New Zealand, such as the Nissan-Mobil 500 races.

BTW racer69, do you happen to have any info on the NZ Nissan-Mobil races from late in 87? I think they came after the AGP, or perhaps even after Wellington, I'm not too sure. In fact, I'm not entirely sure they were even held, seeing as Wellington had already had one 500k race.

[racer69]

In 1985, 1986 and 1987, the Nissan-Mobil 500 series was held in the last weekend of January for Wellington, and the next weekend in Pukekohe.

In 1987 two Nissan Mobil 500s were held at Wellington, the one at the start of the year and the World Touring Car Championship round at the end of the year. After the they were all held at the end of the year.

PS...Actually now that i think about it i think there could have been a second 500km race at Pukekohe the weekend after the Wellington WTCC round in late '87, not sure, but i think there could have been. If that is the case i guess two Nissan-Mobil 500 championships were held in 1987, because Larry Perkins/Denny Hulme were declared winners of the early 1987 series.

[RaceTime]

Wasn't the Calder Park event held around Aug or Sept also part of this South Pacific Championship?? This was the event held before Bathurst.

Also - when I did a search through Google for South Pacific Championship 1987 I came across the following link:
http://www.simonlewis.com/textonly/rprogrames.htm

which mentions this program:
MANFIELD (NEW ZEALAND)

SOUTH PACIFIC TOURING CAR SERIES

1986 30 NOV . . £5

Apart from this, the only other reference Google can come up with is this thread

[racer69]

Originally posted by RaceTime
Wasn't the Calder Park event held around Aug or Sept also part of this South Pacific Championship?? This was the event held before Bathurst.

This was the event that John Bowe/Terry SHiel won in the PJ Nissan after taking the lead from Bill O'Brien on the last lap (O'Brien doing his only lap of the race after Perkins pitted). That was also the first race on the circuit (possibly the first use of a road course and an oval, now they are fairly common in ovals worldwide).

I'm not sure it was part of it, as from the article's i have read the AGP support race was round 1.

[William Dale Jr]

That would be the Sun 300 then? I think that was supposed to be a part of another Group A series to be held over several meetings at Calder, but I could be wrong about that...

As for it being the first use of a road/oval course, in Australia it almost certainly would be. However, overseas there are numerous examples of road/oval circuits. Daytona has one for the 24hr, IIRC there's a disused one at Talladega, Texas World Speedway, Michigan International, the now-defunct Ontario Motor Speedway - I think road/oval circuits go as far back as Brooklands, and from memory, I think Indianapolis was also to have one when it was first built.

[racer69]

Definatly the first in Australia, not worldwide though, i don't know what i was going on about there

In 1986 there was the Sun South Pacific 300 at Calder, round 5 of the '86 AEC, on the road course. The 1987 combined road course/oval race (non-WTCC) was run over 70 laps (100km). I think you could be right, it could have been part of a Calder series incorporating that, the WTCC event and round 1 of the 1988 ATCC.

[kmchow]

Originally posted by racer69
kmchow - The South East Asian Touring Car Zone Challenge (going by what i interpreted on the website) is a totally different series from the Asia-Pacific Championships. I think the SEATCZC has changed it's name to the Asian Touring Car Championship as well?

I assumed the 2 championships were linked based on information supplied by the Touring Car World Annual. Do you have a copy of it? I made the assumption, b/c some of the cars/drivers listed at the Wellington round reappeared under the SEATCZC banner. I could be wrong though. I also thought I recall reading the history link on some website I visited in the past.

[William Dale Jr]

I just checked my Auto Actions and the Sun 300 (it was a 300km race; 70 laps X 4.2km)was part of a Yokohama/Bob Jane Super Series involving Group A and Group E Touring Car races. Although the prizemoney was huge for both classes, the Group A end of it wasn't as well supported as the Group E race. I think there were only two rounds in the series - I think the other one doubled with the WTCC round.

BTW, I'd never heard of a 300k enduro at Calder during 1986 (haven't managed to obtain a copy of AMRY 86/87 yet). Do you have any info?

[RaceTime]

I've just checked my copy of Bill Tuckeys 86/87 Bathurst book and the only AEC rounds in 1986 were Amaroo, Surfers and Sandown - and then Bathurst - nothing else.

[racer69]

I'm lucky that other family members are race fans, and i've got the '86 Sun 300 on tape (was only 3 at time, so abit hard to tape myself )

Off memory it was run over 120 laps of the road course. The race started out dry but after about 30 laps there was a huge thunderstorm which cut power to the circuit, including the TV, the telecast rejoins at lap 64 (from what i can gather the telecast was just late-night highlights on 7).

The race was won by George Fury/Glen Seton in the PJ Skyline from Peter Brock.

Also this was the first Australian Touring Car race to include a rolling start.

As far as i know the Bathurst books only cover up to Bathurst, it doesn't include races after then. After Bathurst in 1986 there was the Calder 300 and the Pepsi 250 at Oran Park, also won by George Fury/Glenn Seton.

[Chris - Melb]

I have part of the 1987 race calendars posted on bottom of the "For Sale" page of my website. I hope that helps.

www.drive.to/beechey

Chris.

[275 GTB-4]

Originally posted by Chris - Melb
I have part of the 1987 race calendars posted on bottom of the "For Sale" page of my website. I hope that helps.

www.drive.to/beechey

Chris.

Welcome to the forum, Big Norm was one of my hero's especially Nova mounted. Cheers

[RaceTime]

Originally posted by racer69
Off memory it was run over 120 laps of the road course. The race started out dry but after about 30 laps there was a huge thunderstorm which cut power to the circuit, including the TV, the telecast rejoins at lap 64 (from what i can gather the telecast was just late-night highlights on 7).

The race was won by George Fury/Glen Seton in the PJ Skyline from Peter Brock.

Ahhh now I remember the race - I got kicked out of that meeting because the Chief Timekeeper (Kate something or other) didn;t like the testing I was doing...

Around that time we were developing software for timing on the Commodore 64 and I asked permission to test the software in Timing - Graham (can't recall the circuit maagers last name) gave the OK and I set up alongside the official timing crew.

As you say a storm hit and a marquee blew onto power lines into the circuit taking out power - remember this was 1986 sono backup power was readily availablein those days.

The power outage didn;t worry me as the software we were testing that day was for lap scoring and not timing.

When the power went out - everything on the track went down - PA, lights and timing computers - Kate was in a frenzy.....

So after about 15 minutes, when it was obvious the power wasn't going to come back on they arranged with Ch 7 - who had their usual enourmous generator under the grand stand - to plug an extension lead, hung over the back railing, into the generator to provide power for the timing computers - which they did and the official timing system was up and running again.

After - think it was about 30-40 minutes - the circuit power was restored and some bright spark (scuse the pun) in Ch looked around, saw the circuit power was back on and decided the timekeepers didn;t need the Ch 7 generator power any more - so he/she pulled the plug - and Kate and the rest of the timing crew had yet another spaz fit!

I was killing myself laughing at this - which upset poor old Kate - she complained and I had to go home early after being 'asked to leave'......

Funnily enough, the next meeting, the timing system had a humungous backup UPS - delivering 1 KVa and measuring about 1.2 m high and nearly a metre square and weighing a ton. And, don;t laugh, this same UPS is still being used today - has to be moved on the back of a ute it is so bloody heavy!

Ahhh the good old days! (and the egos and attitudes of officials then and now...)

BTW - the circuit managers at Calder Park in those days only used to last about 12-15 months before Bob used to clear everyone out and install 'fresh blood' - that was until Steve Bettes came along - think he set a record for holding onto a job at Calder....

[GTRMagic]

It will be sad when they eventually sell Calder off for houses wont it... they have built almost to the front door there, as they have with both Oran Park, and to some extent Eastern Creek in Sydney.... and we have already lost poor old Amaroo Park, which is where some of the bushfires were in Sydney last week...

[RaceTime]

Maybe it could be suggested that Calder Park won't be sold off for housing - Hmmmm wonder what is actually under the thunderdome...

[GTRMagic]

What used to be at Calder Park before they built the Thunderdome?

At Eastern Creek, one end is a waste dump.... so that will take some time to resettle (I think NSW law says 30 years re-deployment before they can build down that end)....

[RaceTime]

Not what was there before - what was used to build the Dome itself in the late 80's...

[Crash Test]

Can they still put a football paddock on top of an old tip?

[RaceTime]

Dunno - is that what they are discussing for Lakeside?

Calder wasn't a tip - the ptoblem is that the Thunderdome was built well after the main circuit - and ther has been a lot of 'settling' of the fill used to create the banking. Plus there are (as always insituations like this) talk of what is actually in the fill...)

You can see the movement in the banking by looking at the seating down the main straight - what used to be nice straight lines is now - well not so straight.

[Crash Test]

Indeed, I was actually having a chat to a local about that tonight.

They won't be doing anything with Lakeside any time soon, especially since it was heritage listed

[RaceTime]

- Hertiage Listed - can just imagine all the Historic Cars that are buiried all over the property