The Australian Sprintcar Championship is a Dirt track racing championship held each year to determine the Australian national champion. The single championship meeting runs in either late January or early February and has been held year after year since 1963. After the first nine championship meetings were held in New South Wales, the Sprintcar Control Council of Australia (SCCA) now holds the meeting in a different state on a rotational basis. The Australian Sprintcar Title is only open to Australian drivers and is run and sanctioned by the SCCA.
The championship has gone by different names over its 49 years as in that time Sprintcars have evolved from crude modified 'hot rods' to the dual winged, 410 cubic inch engined monsters that we see today. From 1963-64 the title was known as the Australian Sportsman Hot rod Championship. In 1965 this changed to the Australian Hot Rod Championship. This was again changed in 1966 to the National Super Modified Championship but the 1965 name re-appeared in 1967. From 1968-1970 the meeting was known as the Australian Super Modified Championship while from 1971-1978 the title was then called the Australian Modified Sprintcar Championship before changing one more time in 1979 to its current name, the Australian Sprintcar Championship.
The Australian championship, along with the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic (held exclusively at Premier Speedway in Warrnambool), are seen the two most important single Sprintcar meetings on the Australian speedway calender.
The championship is separate to Australia's national Sprintcar series, the World Series Sprintcars which has been running since 1987.
Retired Sydney driver Garry Rush holds the record with 10 Australian championship wins and 18 podium finishes between 1966 and 1998. New South Wales based drivers have dominated the title with 35 wins from 49 championships, including current and four-time champion Brooke Tatnell. Six drivers were from Victoria, three each from South Australia and Western Australia while two winners have been from Queensland.
On January 25–28, 2012 Speedway City in Adelaide will host the 50th Anniversary Australian Sprintcar Championship.[1]
Contents |
| Year | Venue | Winners | Runner-up | 3rd place |
| 1963 | Windsor RSL Speedway | Bill Willis (Vic) | Ray Forrest (NSW) | Graham McCubbin (Vic) |
| 1964 | Windsor RSL Speedway | Dick Britton (NSW) | Bill Willis (Vic) | George Polley (NSW) |
| 1965 | Windsor RSL Speedway | Bill Warner (NSW) | Dick Britton (NSW) | Graham McCubbin (Vic) |
| 1966 | Westmead Speedway | Dick Britton (NSW) | Bill Warner (NSW) | Garry Rush (NSW) |
| 1967 | Westmead Speedway | Dick Britton (NSW) | Garry Rush (NSW) | Ray Brett (NSW) |
| 1968 | Sydney Showground Speedway | Bob Tunks (NSW) | Ray Brett (NSW) | Tony Ward (NSW) |
| 1969 | Morriset Speedway | Jim Winterbottom (NSW) | Ray Skipper (NSW) | Peter Dickerson (NSW) |
| 1970 | Morriset Speedway | Bill Wigzell (SA) | David Lander (NSW) | Les Harrower (Vic) |
| Year | Venue | Winners | Runner-up | 3rd place |
| 1971 | Sydney Showground Speedway | Dick Britton (NSW) | Joe Scruise (NSW) | Les Harrower (Vic) |
| 1972 | Premier Speedway | Graham McCubbin (Vic) | Phil Hereen (SA) | Wayne Fisher (SA) |
| 1973 | Rowley Park Speedway | John Moyle (SA) | Alan Jones (SA) | Ron Clark (Vic) |
| 1974 | Tralee Speedway | Jim Winterbottom (NSW) | Les Harrower (Vic) | Ron Smith (Vic) |
| 1975 | Archerfield Speedway | Dick Britton (NSW) | Graham McCubbin (Vic) | Garry Rush (NSW) |
| 1976 | Latrobe Speedway | Noel Bradford (WA) | Graham McCubbin (Vic) | David Conlon (Vic) |
| 1977 | Bunbury Speedway | Garry Rush (NSW) | Noel Bradford (WA) | George Tatnell (NSW) |
| 1978 | Parramatta City Raceway | Garry Rush (NSW) | Jimmy Sills () | Steve Brazier (NSW) |
| 1979 | Premier Speedway | Steve Brazier (NSW) | Bill Wigzell (SA) | Tim Moncrieff (Tas) |
| 1980 | Speedway Park | Steve Brazier (NSW) | Alf Barbagello (WA) | Graham McCubbin (Vic) |
| Year | Venue | Winners | Runner-up | 3rd place |
| 1981 | Archerfield Speedway | Garry Rush (NSW) | Bill Barrows (SA) | Dick Britton (NSW) |
| 1982 | Tralee Speedway | Garry Rush (NSW) | Bob Kelly (QLD) | Ian Samms (NSW) |
| 1983 | Newcastle Motordrome | Garry Rush (NSW) | Brett Lacey (Vic) | Ray Lacey (Vic) |
| 1984 | Rockhampton Speedway | Garry Rush (NSW) | George Tatnell (NSW) | John Walsh (NSW) |
| 1985 | Claremont Speedway | Ron Krikke (WA) | Lee Foster (WA) | Max Dumesny (Vic) |
| 1986 | Premier Speedway | Garry Rush (NSW) | Bob Tunks (NSW) | Ian Lewis (Vic) |
| 1987** | Northline Speedway | Brett Lacey (Vic) | Steve Brazier (NSW) | Garry Rush (NSW) |
| 1988 | Speedway Park | George Tatnell (NSW) | Garry Rush (NSW) | Max Dumesny (Vic) |
| 1989 | Tralee Speedway | Garry Rush (NSW) | George Tatnell (NSW) | Brett Lacey (Vic) |
| 1990 | Archerfield Speedway | Garry Rush (NSW) | Max Dumesny (Vic) | George Tatnell (NSW) |
| Year | Venue | Winners | Runner-up | 3rd place |
| 1991 | Carrick Speedway | Max Dumesny (Vic) | David Anderson (Vic) | Brooke Tatnell (NSW) |
| 1992 | Parramatta City Raceway | Garry Rush (NSW) | Max Dumesny (Vic) | Rod Bowen (NSW) |
| 1993 | Claremont Speedway | Ron Krikke (WA) | Garry Brazier (NSW) | Mark Wells (WA) |
| 1994 | Premier Speedway | Garry Brazier (NSW) | Brooke Tatnell (NSW) | Robert Farr (NSW) |
| 1995 | Borderline Speedway | Garry Brazier (NSW) | Brooke Tatnell (NSW) | Garry Rush (NSW) |
| 1996 | Archerfield Speedway | Todd Wanless (Qld) | Paul Lindberg (Qld) | Garry Rush (NSW) |
| 1997 | Parramatta City Raceway | Garry Brazier (NSW) | Kerry Madsen (NSW) | Peter Murphy (NSW) |
| 1998 | Bunbury Speedway | Max Dumesny (Vic) | Garry Rush (NSW) | Skip Jackson (NSW) |
| 1999 | Premier Speedway | Phil March (SA) | Kerry Madsen (NSW) | Max Dumesny (Vic) |
| 2000 | Speedway Park | Garry Brazier (NSW) | Max Dumesny (Vic) | Nathan McDonald (Qld) |
| Year | Venue | Winners | Runner-up | 3rd place |
| 2001 | Brisbane International Raceway | Skip Jackson (NSW) | Garry Brazier (NSW) | Max Dumesny (Vic) |
| 2002 | Parramatta City Raceway | Max Dumesny (Vic) | Robbie Farr (NSW) | Brooke Tatnell (NSW) |
| 2003 | Premier Speedway | Kerry Madsen (NSW) | Garry Brazier (NSW) | Brooke Tatnell (NSW) |
| 2004 | Bunbury Speedway | Robbie Farr (NSW) | Max Dumesny (Vic) | Mark Wells (WA) |
| 2005 | Riverview Speedway | Brooke Tatnell (NSW) | Ryan Farrell (WA) | Cameron Gessner (Qld) |
| 2006 | Brisbane International Raceway | Brooke Tatnell (NSW) | Max Dumesny (Vic) | Cameron Gessner (Qld) |
| 2007 | Latrobe Speedway | Brooke Tatnell (NSW) | Max Dumesny (Vic) | Robbie Farr (NSW) |
| 2008 | Parramatta City Raceway | Garry Brazier (NSW) | Robbie Farr (NSW) | Ian Louden (NSW) |
| 2009 | Perth Motorplex Speedway | Garry Brazier (NSW) | Adrian Maher (NSW) | Ryan Farrell (WA) |
| 2010 | Northline Speedway | James McFadden (Qld) | Stephen Bell (Vic) | Jamie Maiolo (WA) |
| Year | Venue | Winners | Runner-up | 3rd place |
| 2011 | Permier Speedway | Brooke Tatnell (NSW) | Kerry Madsen (NSW) | Steven Lines (SA) |
| 2012 | Speedway City | TBD | TBD | TBD |
** 1987 championship was actually run early in the 1986/87 season rather than its traditional late January time and thus there was no actual championship run in the 1987 calender year