 | |
_track_map--Combined_road_and_Thunderdome_(oval)_course.svg) Combined Circuit (1987–present) | |
_track_map--Road_only_courses.svg) National Circuit (1986–present) | |
| Location | Melbourne,Victoria,Australia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°40′18″S144°45′21″E / 37.67167°S 144.75583°E /-37.67167; 144.75583 |
| Capacity | 44,000 (Thunderdome) |
| Owner | Rodney McDonald |
| Operator | Australian Motorsport Club Limited |
| Opened | 14 January 1962; 63 years ago (1962-01-14) |
| Major events | Former: World Touring Car Championship (1987) V8 Supercars Calder Park V8 Supercar round (1969–1983, 1985–1988, 1996–2001) Australian Drivers' Championship (1974–1978, 1980, 1982–1984, 1986, 1988, 1996–1998, 2001) Australian Super Touring Championship (1995, 1997–1999) Goodyear NASCAR 500 (1988) Australian GT (1963, 1982–1985) Australian Grand Prix (1980–1984) |
| Thunderdome (1987–present) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.801 km (1.119 mi) |
| Turns | 4 |
| Banking | Turns: 24° Front straight: 4° Back straight: 6° |
| National Circuit (1986–present) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.280 km (1.417 mi) |
| Turns | 9 |
| Race lap record | 0:52.69 ( John Bowe,Veskanda C1,1986,Group C) |
| Combined Circuit (Road+Oval) (1987–present) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 4.216 km (2.620 mi) |
| Turns | 15 |
| Banking | Thunderdome Turns: 24° Front straight: 4° Back straight: 6° |
| Race lap record | 1:45.03 (Andrew Miedecke,Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth,1987,Group A) |
| Main Circuit (1984–1985) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.609 km (1.000 mi) |
| Turns | 6 |
| Race lap record | 0:41.27 ( Niki Lauda,Ralt RT4,1984,Formula Mondial) |
| Original Circuit (1962–1984) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.609 km (1.000 mi) |
| Turns | 4 |
| Race lap record | 0:36.9 (Alan Jones,Williams FW07,1980,F1) |
Calder Park Raceway is a motor racing circuit inMelbourne,Victoria,Australia. The complex includes adragstrip, a road circuit with several possible configurations, and the "Thunderdome", a high-speed banked oval equipped to race either clockwise (for right-hand-drive cars) or anti-clockwise (for left-hand-drive cars such asNASCAR).
As of 2025, the dragstrip and the road circuit remain in use for grassroots-level motorsport events, but the banked oval has not been used since 1999.[1]
Calder Park Raceway was founded in the farming community of Diggers Rest and began as a dirt track carved into a paddock by a group of motoring enthusiasts who wanted somewhere to race their FJ Holdens. One of those men was Patrick Hawthorn, who at the time owned a petrol station in Clayton, when one of his clients suggested a place to race, on his property.
The inaugural meeting on a bitumen track was run by the Australian Motor Sports Club and took place on 14 January 1962. The track design was very similar to the existing Club Circuit, which is still in use today. Competitors at this meeting included former Calder Park ownerBob Jane (Autoland Jaguar 3.8 #84),Norm Beechey (Holden #40), John Wood (Holden #83) andPeter Manton (Mini Cooper).
In the early 1970s, champion racer and Melbournetyre retailerBob Jane purchased the track. The circuit not only hosted road racing but also drag racing while the infield formed part of theRallycross track. The 1.609 km (1.000 mi) circuit was increased in length in 1986 to 2.280 km (1.417 mi), though the short circuit still remains. As part of the changes to the circuit, the main straight was lengthened from 700 m (770 yd) to just under 1,000 m (1,100 yd) in length while the final turn (which was known for a long time as Gloweave Corner) was also moved forward approximately 75 m (82 yd) so that the road course and the start of the drag racing strip were separate (this was due to long time complaints from drivers and bike riders that the start of the main straight was notoriously slippery, especially in the wet, due to it also being the start of the drag strip). Lengthening the straight also gave the drag strip a longer runoff and slow down area. Jane also had the 1.801 km (1.119 mi) high bankedNASCAR style Thunderdome built on the east side of the road circuit which opened in August 1987.
In 1982 the circuit was renamed to theMelbourne International Raceway,[2] while for the round of the1985 Australian Touring Car Championship, series broadcasterChannel 7 referred to Calder as theKeilor International Raceway.
The Thunderdome is a purpose-built 1.801 km (1.119 mi)quad-oval speedway located on the grounds of Calder Park Raceway. It was originally known as theGoodyear Thunderdome to reflect thenaming rights sponsorship bought by theGoodyear Tire & Rubber Company.
With its "double dogleg" front stretch and the start/finish line located on a straight section rather than the apex of a curve, the Thunderdome is technically a quad-oval in shape, though since its opening it has generally been referred to as atri-oval. The track, modelled on a scaled down version of the famousCharlotte Motor Speedway, has 24° banking on Turns 1, 2, 3 and 4 while the front stretch is banked at 4° and the back straight at 6°.
The Thunderdome was completed in 1987, but can trace its roots back over twenty years previously when Australian motorsport iconBob Jane, previous owner of Calder Park Raceway, travelled to theUnited States and visited the Charlotte Motor Speedway andDaytona International Speedway numerous times to gaugestock car racing's rise in popularity. WithNASCAR getting more air time on Australian television largely thanks to the influence ofChannel 7 motorsport commentator andSydney speedway promoter Mike Raymond, in 1981 Jane struck a deal withBill France Jr., the head of NASCAR, to bring stock car racing to Australia and plans were laid out for a high banked oval adjacent to the existing Calder Park Raceway.
Ground first broke for the track in 1983 and it took four years to complete. It was built at a cost ofA$54 million— with Jane personally contributing over $20 million of his own money. Due to the lack of such knowledge in Australia, during construction Jane was forced to bring in engineers from the US who had experience in building high banked speedway ovals. The Thunderdome was officially opened by the Mayor of theKeilor City Council on 3 August 1987.
The first race on the Thunderdome was held just two weeks after its opening, although the track used incorporated both the Thunderdome and the pre-existing National Circuit. It was a300-kilometre event forGroup Atouring cars, withJohn Bowe andTerry Shiel in a turbochargedNissan Skyline DR30 RS taking first place – to date the only time a Japanese car has won a race held on the Thunderdome.[3]
AUSCAR had the distinction of hosting the first ever race to exclusively use the Thunderdome. The race, aptly named theAUSCAR 200, was held a week prior to the Goodyear NASCAR 500. In a shock to the male dominated establishment, 18-year-old female driver Terri Sawyer won the 110 lap race driving aHolden VK Commodore. Sawyer had qualified her Commodore on the front row of the grid and ran at or near the front all day to win from Kim Jane (the nephew of Calder owner Bob Jane), Max de Jersey, Phil Brock and Graham Smith. The top five positions all went to those driving either a VK or VL Commodore. Greg East, also driving a VK Commodore, sat on pole for the AUSCAR 200 with a time of 33.2 seconds for an average speed of 195.28 km/h (121.34 mph).
The first NASCAR race that used only the oval was theGoodyear NASCAR 500 held on 28 February 1988 (unlike the "500s" in US NASCAR racing, the Australian version was only 500 km, or 310 mi - roughly the same distance as aBusch Series race). The race was nationally televised by theSeven Network and was shown in the USA onESPN. It featured some of Australia's top touring car andspeedway drivers as well as a slew of imports from theWinston Cup, includingBobby Allison (who had won his thirdDaytona 500 just two weeks earlier in a thrilling finish from his sonDavey, giving the Thunderdome race a big publicity boost),Neil Bonnett (who had won the Winston Cup race at theRichmond International Raceway the previous weekend),Michael Waltrip,Harry Gant,Morgan Shepherd,Dave Marcis,Rick Wilson and others. NASCAR's most famous last name was also represented with1987 Coca-Cola 600 winnerKyle Petty making the trip down under.
In a test session prior to the 1988 Goodyear NASCAR 500, NASCAR's "King"Richard Petty, the record holder for the most victories in NASCAR history with 200 career wins and the father of Kyle Petty, set an unofficial lap record for the Thunderdome of 28.2 seconds for an average speed of 142.85 mp/h. This was some 6/10ths of a second (3.1 mph (5.0 km/h)) faster than Bonnett's pole time for the race.
Bonnett won the race in aPontiac Grand Prix from Allison in aBuick LeSabre and Marcis in aChevrolet Monte Carlo. The race saw a heavy crash on lap 80 which took some 6 cars out of the race including Australian'sDick Johnson (Ford Thunderbird) andAllan Grice (Oldsmobile Delta 88) who suffered a broken collar bone after hitting Johnson's already crashed car at high speed in the middle of turns 3 and 4. Grice, who like Johnson had aRacecam unit in his car and in a NASCAR first was able to talk to the Channel 7 commentary team while racing, had been unable to slow sufficiently due to his car's lack of brakes which he had told the television audience about only laps before the crash.
This was the first time a NASCAR event had been staged outside North America and it proved so popular that many of the same drivers returned for another race held at the Thunderdome that December, theChristmas 500, with three-timeIndianapolis 500 winnerJohnny Rutherford returning to Australia for the first time since his brief appearance in the1977 Bathurst 1000 to be part of the driving line up.Morgan Shepherd would go on to win the race with a four-second margin overSterling Marlin, the only two competitors in the event to finish on the lead lap.
The Thunderdome also played host to numerousAustralian Stock Car Auto Racing (AUSCAR) events. AUSCAR was unique in that the cars wereright-hand drive and based on the AustralianFord Falcon andHolden Commodore. Engines were limited to 5.0L which allowed use of the existingHolden V8 engine and theFord 302 engine, though untilFord Australia re-introduced the 302 V8 to the Falcon range in1991, those who raced theFord XF Falcon used the 5.8L351 Cleveland V8. Unlike NASCAR, the right-hand drive AUSCARs racedclockwise on oval tracks such as the Thunderdome and the1⁄2 mile Speedway Super Bowl at theAdelaide International Raceway. The most successful AUSCAR driver wasBrad Jones who won five straight championships from 1989/90 until 1993/94 in various Commodores. Jones also successfully made the transition to NASCAR, winning the Superspeedway Series on his first try in 1994/95.
The last events on the Thunderdome layout ran in 1999, due to an across-the-board collapse in entry numbers in both AUSCAR and NASCAR.[4]
As of 2023, the Thunderdome is reportedly driveable, but is not currently used for motorsport competition.[5]
Calder Park has hosted events ranging from Australian touring cars, historics, Super Tourers, Super Trucks and Super Bikes to rock concerts featuring world class artists such as Fleetwood Mac, Santana and Guns N' Roses.
Between 1980 and 1984, Calder Park played host to theAustralian Grand Prix. The1980 race was won by Australia'sAlan Jones driving theWilliams FW07B he drove to win the1980Formula One World Championship, the race being open to F1,Formula 5000 andFormula Pacific cars (as of2022 this is the final time an Australian driver won the AGP). Young Brazilian driverRoberto Moreno dominated the AGP from 1981 to 1984, winning the race in1981,1983 and1984, while finishing third behind F1 acesAlain Prost andJacques Laffite in1982. During this period, Calder owner Bob Jane managed to entice many F1 drivers to race in the Grand Prix at Calder including World Champions Jones, Prost,Niki Lauda,Nelson Piquet andKeke Rosberg as well as Laffite,Bruno Giacomelli,Didier Pironi,François Hesnault andAndrea de Cesaris, as well as Australian internationalsGeoff Brabham andLarry Perkins. The 1981-1984 races were open to Formula Pacific cars only with both Moreno and Prost winning the races driving 1.6-litreFord poweredRalt RT4s.
A round of the1987 World Touring Car Championship was held on the Calder Park Grand Prix circuit on 11 October 1987. This race used the combined road and oval circuits and was won by theEggenberger MotorsportFord Sierra RS500 driven bySteve Soper andPierre Dieudonné.
Also in 1987, the combined road-oval circuit was used for a round of the Swann Series for Superbikes. For safety reasons the bikes were not allowed onto the 24° banked turns in the Thunderdome and they had to use the flat track apron as the turns. The bikes were allowed onto the 4° front straight with witches hats (cones) placed on the track to tell riders where the edge of the track was.[6][7]
Calder was also the first to hostSuperbike racing andTruck Racing, the trucks competing on both National and Thunderdome circuits in separate events. TheAUSCAR series was developed to race on the Thunderdome.
The National Circuit's long front straight also features a drag strip, which was the home of the Australian National Drag Racing Championship for many years. There are also Legal Off Street Drag Racing every Friday night unless weather is unsuitable for racing.
Calder Park will continue long into the future, with one of its main focuses being the provision of a quality, affordable racing circuit within close proximity of the Melbourne CBD, for all Victorian motoring clubs and their grass roots membership.
— Bob Jane, (December 2004).[1]
Drag Racing authority ANDRA national level events were absent for twelve years until 2013 due to a dispute between the governing body and circuit owner Bob Jane.[8]
The first ever Drift Nationals held in March 2004 attracted over 8,000 spectators and added another inaugural event to the long list of new activities nurtured by Calder Park Raceway.
In 2021,Australian National Drag Racing Association announced the establishment of an annual Australian Drag Racing Championship series, with ASID as one of five venues across the country to host a round in the inaugural season.[9]
The Calder Park road circuit lay unused for nearly 15 years in the 2000s and 2010s. In 2023, the circuit, now owned by Bob Jane's son Rodney, was repaired and upgraded sufficiently to allow club and state-level motorsport events sanctioned byMotorsport Australia to resume.[5] Further improvements are planned to the road circuit. Rodney Jane also hopes to one day bring back oval racing on the Thunderdome.[10]
On 1 February 1993,Guns N' Roses performed at Calder Park as part of theUse Your Illusion Tour. The concert was fraught with controversy, including reports that security staff had prohibited patrons from bringing their own food, drinks and sunscreen into the venue; this most seriously affected a diabetic teenage girl, whose medication and carefully portioned food were confiscated. The weather was very hot on that day, reportedly 42 °C (108 °F), and many concertgoers went to the venue on special shuttle buses. The buses left the venue shortly after Guns N' Roses performed their final song, leaving many concertgoers stranded. There are reports that they walked all the way down the Calder Highway back to Melbourne, looting a7-Eleven on the highway for food. An inquiry into the conditions was held, with the findings published byOmbudsman Victoria in May 1993.[11] To this day, this was the last ever concert to be performed at Calder Park.
Calder Park held the Australian Grand Prix each year from 1980 until 1984, after which the race became a round of theFormula One World Championship and was held at theAdelaide Street Circuit. In 1980, the race was open to cars from Formula One,Formula 5000 andFormula Pacific. For 1981–1984 the race was restricted to Formula Pacific /Formula Mondial cars.
Calder Park held 25 rounds of the Australian Touring Car Championship between 1969 and 2001.Allan Moffat has won the most ATCC rounds at Calder, winning five times (1970, 1973, 1976, 1977 and 1983).
On 11 October 1987, Calder Park hosted Round 9 of theinauguralWorld Touring Car Championship on the combined road course and the newly built high banked Thunderdome. The race, known as theBob Jane T-Marts 500, was won by England'sSteve Soper andBelgian driver/journalistPierre Dieudonné in aRuedi Eggenberger builtFord Sierra RS500.
| Year | Drivers | Car | Entrant | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group A | ||||
| 1987 |  Steve Soper Pierre Dieudonné | Ford Sierra RS500 |  Ford Texaco Racing Team | |
Rounds of various Australian motor racing championship were held at Calder.
| Year | Driver | Car | Entrant | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Formula 1 /Australian Formula 2 | ||||
| 1974 | Max Stewart | Lola T300Chevrolet | Max Stewart Motors | |
| 1975 | John McCormack | Elfin MR6Repco Holden | Ansett Team Elfin | |
| 1976 | Max Stewart | Lola T400Chevrolet | M Stewart | |
| 1977 | Jon Davison | Lola T332Chevrolet | Jon Davison | |
| Australian Formula 1 | ||||
| 1978 |  Graham McRae | McRae GM3Chevrolet | Thomson Motor Auctions | |
| 1980 | Alfredo Costanzo | Lola T430Chevrolet | Porsche Distributors | |
| 1982* | Alfredo Costanzo | Tiga FA81Ford | Porsche Cars Australia | |
| 1983* | John Smith | Ralt RT4Ford | John Smith | |
| Formula Mondial | ||||
| 1984 | Alfredo Costanzo | Tiga FA81Ford | Porsche Cars Australia | |
| 1986 | Ken Smith | Ralt RT4Ford | Watson Motor Racing Pty Ltd | |
| Australian Formula 2 | ||||
| 1988 | Neil Israel | Magnum 863Volkswagen | Magnum Racing Australia | |
| Formula Holden | ||||
| 1996 | Jason Bright | Reynard 91DHolden | Birrana Racing | |
| 1997 | Jason Bright | Reynard 91DHolden | Garry & Warren Smith | |
| 1998 | Scott Dixon | Reynard 92DHolden | SH Racing | |
| 2001 | Rick Kelly | Reynard 94DHolden | Holden Young Lions | |
* The Calder round of both the 1982 and 1983 Australian Drivers' Championships were also the Australian Grand Prix. The round win was awarded to the highest placed domestic series driver.
| Year | Driver | Car | Entrant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Lionel Ayers | RennmaxRepco | Lionel Ayers |
| 1976 | Alan Hamilton | Porsche RSR Turbo | JAG Team Porsche |
| 1977 | Alan Hamilton | Porsche 934 Turbo | Porsche Distributors |
| 1978 | Ross Bond | Bolwell Nagari | Ross Bond |
| 1979 | Ross Mathieson | Porsche Carrera | Ross Mathieson |
| 1980 | John Latham | Porsche Turbo | John Latham |
| 1981 | John Latham | Porsche 930 Turbo | John Latham |
| 1984 | Chris Clearihan | KaditchaChevrolet | Steve Webb |
| 1985 | John Bowe | Veskanda C1Chevrolet | Bernie van Elsen |
| 1986 | John Bowe | Veskanda C1Chevrolet | Bernie van Elsen |
| 1987 | Rusty French | Porsche 935 | John Sands Racing |
| Year | Driver | Car | Entrant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Frank Gardner | Chevrolet Corvair | John Player Racing |
| 1977 | Bob Jane | Holden Monaro HQChevrolet | Bob Jane 2UW Racing Team |
| 1978 | Jim Richards | Ford XC Falcon Hardtop | Jim Richards Motor Racing |
| 1979 | Tony Edmonson | Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTVRepco Holden | Donald Elliot |
| 1980 | Tony Edmonson | Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTVRepco Holden | Donald Elliot |
| 1981 | Tony Edmonson | Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTVChevrolet | Donald Elliot |
| 1997 | Kerry Baily | Toyota Celica SupraChevrolet | Kerry Baily |
| Year | Driver | Car | Entrant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Bob Jane | Jaguar E-Type | Bob Jane Jaguar-Fiat Sales |
| 1982 | Alan Jones | Porsche 935/80 | Porsche Cars Australia |
| 1983 | Tony Edmonson | Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTVChevrolet | Don Elliot |
| 1984 | Peter Fitzgerald | Porsche Carrera RSR | Peter Fitzgerald/Stanilite Electronics |
| 1985 | Kevin Bartlett | De Tomaso Pantera | Paul Halstead / The Toy Shop |
| Year | Driver | Car | Entrant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Peter Fitzgerald | Porsche 996 GT3 | Falken Tyres |
The first 100 metres of the Drag Strip was resurfaced in 2006 due to irregularities in the start line area, the strip reopened for the Legal Off Street Drag Racing event on Friday 17 November 2006.
_track_map--Thunderdome_Speedway.svg)
The fastest official race lap records at the Calder Park Raceway are listed as:
