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Exciting new direction for production car racing |
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Thursday, 20 March 2008 |
The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport is pleased to announce a brand new direction for production based Group 3E cars under the new title of “The Australian Manufacturers Championship”.
Following the format of the recent highly successful WPS Bathurst 12 Hour event, the series will commence with a three hour enduro at Phillip Island in June. The Manufacturers Championship along with a Driver’s Championship pointscore will form the cornerstone of the new direction for top level production car racing in Australia.
“The timing is right to take the next step for Production Car Racing,” said CAMS President Colin Osborne.
“This category has a special place in Australian motor racing heritage and the return of the Australian Manufacturers Championship as a title will add a new element and incentive for manufacturers to invest in the series and give the championship stability and continuity in moving forward.”
Following detailed consultation with the stakeholders in Production Car racing, Motor Sport Management consultants SPHERIX have negotiated an exciting schedule on the Shannons Nationals program. There will be a departure from the familiar sprint round format, with less rounds, and the introduction of endurance formats;
June 14-15 - Phillip Island (3 Hours)
August 30-31 - Oran Park (Sprint Format)
September 20-21 - Symmons Plains (1 sprint and a 1 Hour)
November 29-30 - Sandown (Enduro TBA)
“There is now an opportunity for manufacturers to battle out a season of racing under the umbrella of the Manufacturers Championship and individual drivers for the Australian Production Car Drivers Championship. A similar concept is already underway in a number of European countries, and the scene is set for these successful initiatives to provide confidence to competitors and event promoters alike,” said Graeme Emerton, Chairman of CAMS' Australian Motor Racing Commission.
CAMS facilitated a number of forums involving manufacturers and interested parties over the past 12 months which resulted in a revised set of Group 3E regulations. These regulations formed the basis for the WPS Bathurst 12 Hour Showroom Enduro recently and received strong support from manufacturers and entrants. A three year moratorium on any major changes to the regulations will be enforced so all parties can invest in the future knowing the regulations will be stable and consistent.
James O’Brien, promoter of the WPS Bathurst 12 Hour event agreed the stability of regulations and management will support this exciting new series to regain its rightful place in Australian motor sport.
“We have a long term vision for the WPS Bathurst 12 Hour Enduro as a showcase for the latest production models in Australia, and the revival of the Australian Manufacturers Championship can only help grow interest in production car racing. The WPS Bathurst 12 Hour will continue to be the hallmark event the new series is based around,” said O’Brien.
Holden has been strong supporter of the enduro production concept with factory supported Holden Astra’s in the 07 event, and the new Holden SS Sportwagon more recently.
“The series is the ideal entry point to Australian motor racing for many manufacturers,” said Holden Motorsport Manager Simon McNamara.
“We have the opportunity to showcase models that cannot race in other motorsport programmes, therefore from a marketing perspective it is very attractive to the manufacturer at a very cost effective price point. Now with a complete manufacturer’s championship to support the 12 Hour event, it offers better leverage opportunities which will result in a stronger series overall.”
Production Car Association of Australia President Trevor Keene is also buoyant about the future of the category.
“The inclusion of the Australian Production Car Championship within The Manufacturers Championship Series will take production car racing to the next level. With stability of the regulations and strong hallmark events, such as the WPS Bathurst 12 Hour, competitors will be able to confidently invest in the future of the category. We look forward to increased manufacturer involvement with the teams and series,” said Keene.
The class structure is expected to be similar to the WPS 12 Hour event, complete with an eco class for diesel and hybrid cars with full details to be announced in the next few weeks. The overall philosophy of the new series will be to showcase the latest production models in a class and price structure representative of the mass road going market.
CAMS and Motorsport Management Consultants SPHERIX, headed by Craig Denyer and Bill West have been working together on the re-structure and re-packaging of the new series, while former Carrera Cup administrator Jodi Zylstra has been appointed to manage the category working out of the SPHERIX offices on the Gold Coast.
Interested parties can contact Jodi Zylstra on 07 5535 6900
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