Track map |
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| Location | Mallala, South Australia |
|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC+09:30 (UTC+10.5 DST) |
| Owner | Clem Smith |
| Opened | 19 August 1961 [1] Re-opened: 1980 |
| Major events | Australian Grand Prix Australian Drivers' Champ. Australian Tourist Trophy Australian Touring Car Champ. Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series |
| Length | 2.601 km (1.616 mi) |
| Turns | 10 (Officially 8) |
| Lap record | 1:02.57 (Paul Stokell, Reynard 90D Holden, 1994, Formula Holden) |
Mallala Motor Sport Park is a 2.6 km (1.6 mi) bitumen motor racing circuit near the town of Mallala in South Australia, 55 km north of the state capital, Adelaide.
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The Mallala Race Circuit, as it was originally known,[2] was established on the site of the former RAAF Base Mallala. The land was purchased from the Royal Australian Air Force at public auction in 1961 by a group of enthusiasts seeking to create a replacement for the Port Wakefield Circuit.[3] South Australia had been allocated the 1961 Australian Grand Prix on the state by state rotational system that applied at that time but the organisers had subsequently been informed by CAMS that the Port Wakefield venue was not suitable for the event.[4] The opening meeting for the new venue was held on 19 August 1961 with Bib Stillwell winning the main event in a Cooper Climax.[1] The 1961 Australian Grand Prix featuring at the second meeting.[5] The original lap distance of 3.4 km (2.1 mi) was reduced to 2.6 km (1.6 mi) in late 1964[5] when Bosch Curve was moved closer to the Dunlop Curve Grandstand ,[6] thus removing the north eastern leg of the circuit.[7]
Mallala served as South Australia’s home of motor sport throughout the sixties[5] and it hosted a round of the Australian Drivers' Championship each year from 1961 to 1971.[8] The Australian Tourist Trophy was held there in 1962 and 1968 [9] and the single race Australian Touring Car Championship was staged in 1963 as were annual rounds of the same championship after it changed to a series format in 1969. In 1971 the property was bought by Keith Williams, constructor of the new Adelaide International Raceway[3] The circuit was closed in that year and a covenant preventing any motor sport activities was placed on the property.[3]
Following the purchase of the Mallala site by South Australia businessman and former racer Clem Smith in 1977, a Supreme Court decision declared the covenant unenforceable.[3] The facility was then redeveloped and was reopened for motorcycle racing in 1980 and for car racing in 1982.[5] It was now known as Mallala Motor Sport Park.[10]
The circuit was initially issued with a “B” track license, thus excluding the staging of championship level racing.[11] This restriction was later lifted and the circuit hosted a round of the Australian Touring Car Championship each year from 1989 to 1998. When that championship evolved into the Shell Championship Series in 1999, the Mallala round was replaced by the Clipsal 500, held on the Adelaide Street Circuit. A round of the second tier V8 Supercar Development Series was held at Mallala Motor Sport Park each year from 2000 to 2006.
Currently the main meetings held annually are the Mallala Historics each Easter and a round of the Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships later in the year. Drifting now takes place on a regular basis in the form of the G1 Drift Competition and Drift Supercup which runs from turn 8 to turn 2. Supertruck Racing is no longer staged at Mallala due to the deteriorating surface of the track, the final weekend being in late 2009. Major meetings at Mallala are run by the Sporting Car Club of SA and other clubs that regularly use the circuit include the Adelaide Superkart Club, Marque Sports Car Association of SA, and the MG Car Club of SA. Since its re-opening, the Mallala circuit has also been used for private driver training courses and the South Australia Police use the circuit for driver training and assessment.
The Mallanats is an annual car show event held at the circuit. The weekend includes burnout competitions and exhibition events. 2009 was the first time the Mallanats were held and it is set to return late in 2010.
The Elfin Mallala sports racing car was named after the circuit, having competed in its first race there.
As of September 2011
| Class | Driver | Vehicle | Time | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outright | ||||
| Outright | Paul Stokell | Reynard 90D Holden | 1:02.57 | 7 August 1994 |
| Racing Cars | ||||
| Formula Holden | Paul Stokell | Reynard 90D Holden | 1:02.57 | 7 August 1994 |
| Formula 3 | Ben Clucas | Dallara F304 Spiess Opel | 1:04.3218 | 25 June 2006 |
| Formula 2 | Barry Ward | Reynard 893 | 01:07.3 | |
| Formula Ford | Tim Slade | Van Diemen RF04 Ford | 1:11.4133 | 17 September 2006 |
| Formula Vee | Ben Porter | Checkmate | 1:19.7145 | 31 October 2010 |
| Superkart | Gary Pegoraro | Anderson Maverick FPE | 1:06.3237 | 7 June 2009 |
| Sports Cars | ||||
| GT | David Wall | Porsche 911 GT3 | 1:09.7070 | 25 June 2006 |
| Sports Sedan | Tony Ricciardello | Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV-Chevrolet | 1:05.9536 | 18 May 2008 |
| Porsche GT3 Challenge | Matt Kingsley | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup | 1:10.0052 | 30 May 2010 |
| Touring Cars | ||||
| V8 Supercars | Greg Murphy | Holden VS Commodore | 1:08.1437 | 13 July 1997 |
| Super Touring | Brad Jones | Audi A4 Quattro | 1:10.3 | 19 July 1998 |
| Improved Production D | Anthony Wallis | Mazda 808 | 1:14.9796 | 3 May 2009 |
| Improved Production C | James Sutton | Mazda R100 | 1:16.52 | 2 November 2003 |
| Commodore Cup | Marcus Zukanovic | Holden Commodore | 1:18.0369 | 25 June 2006 |
| Saloon Cars | Bruce Heinrich | Holden VT Commodore | 1:18.8580 | 23 August 2008 |
| V8 Utes | Grant Johnson | Holden SS Ute | 1:21.4940 | 21 August 2005 |
| Production Cars | Steve Knight | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 | 1:19.3665 | 17 October 2007 |
| HQ Holdens | Neil Corey | Holden HQ Kingswood | 1:28.0356 | 15 May 2011 |
| Motorcycles | ||||
| Superbike | Mat Mladin | Kawasaki Ninja ZX-7R | 1:07.8 | 19 November 1995 |
| SuperSport | Kevin Curtain | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1:09.9 | 23 May 1999 |
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