 Full Circuit (1964–1971, 1980–present) | |
| Location | Mallala, South Australia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°24′54″S138°30′17″E / 34.41500°S 138.50472°E /-34.41500; 138.50472 |
| Owner | Peregrine Corporation (February 2017–present) Clem Smith (1977–2017) Keith Williams (1971–1976) |
| Operator | Peregrine Corporation (May 2017–present) |
| Opened | 19 August 1961; 64 years ago (1961-08-19)[1] Re-opened: 1980 |
| Closed | 1971 |
| Former names | Mallala Race Circuit (1961–1971) |
| Major events | Current: Trans-Am Australia (2025) TA2 Racing Muscle Car Series (2025) Australian Production Car Series (1989–1992, 1994–1995, 2004–2005, 2007, 2025) Former: Australian Grand Prix (1961) Australian Superbike Championship (1990–2009) Australian Drivers' Championship (1961–1971, 1988–1991, 1994–1997, 2000–2008, 2010, 2017) Australian Tourist Trophy (1962, 1968) Australian Touring Car Championship (1963, 1969–1971, 1989–1998) Australian GT (2006) |
| Full Circuit (1964–1971, 1980–present) | |
| Length | 2.601 km (1.616 mi) |
| Turns | 9 |
| Race lap record | 1:02.570 ( Paul Stokell,Reynard 90D,1994,Formula Brabham) |
| Original Circuit (1961–1963) | |
| Length | 3.379 km (2.100 mi) |
| Turns | 11 |
| Race lap record | 1:44.000 (Bill Patterson/Lex Davison[a],Cooper T51,1961,Formula Libre) |
Mallala Motor Sport Park is a 2.601 km (1.616 mi) bitumenmotor racing circuit near the town ofMallala inSouth Australia, 55 km (34 mi) north of the state capital,Adelaide.
The Mallala Race Circuit, as it was originally known,[2] was established on the site of the formerRAAF Base Mallala. The land was purchased from theRoyal Australian Air Force at public auction in 1961 by a group of enthusiasts seeking to create a replacement for thePort Wakefield Circuit.[3] South Australia had been allocated the1961 Australian Grand Prix on the state by state rotational system that applied at that time, but the organisers had subsequently been informed by theConfederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) that the 2.092 km (1.300 mi)Port Wakefield Circuit, which had hosted the1955 Australian Grand Prix, was no longer suitable to host 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] The1961 Australian Grand Prix headlined the circuits second meeting withLex Davison winning his fourth and last AGP driving aCooper T51Coventry Climax FPF.[5] The original lap distance of 3.379 km (2.100 mi) was reduced to 2.601 km (1.616 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 theAustralian Drivers' Championship each year from 1961 to 1971.[8] TheAustralian Tourist Trophy was held there in 1962 and 1968[9] and the single raceAustralian Touring Car Championship was staged in1963, 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 who at the time owned theSurfers Paradise International Raceway, and was constructing the newAdelaide International Raceway.[3] Mallala was closed in that year as Williams had a court ordered covenant placed on the property preventing any motor sport activities. This ensured that Adelaide International would become the new home of motor racing in SA.[3]
After the circuit's closure as a motor racing venue,Chrysler Australia, who had their manufacturing base inAdelaide, continued using the Mallala as their test track. Leading race driversLeo andPete Geoghegan, who were factory backed Chrysler drivers inSeries Production racing, often tested vehicles such as theChrysler Valiant Charger at the circuit. Mallala was also the test track for the Adelaide-basedElfin Sports Cars run by company founderGarrie Cooper. Elfin produced a variety ofsports andOpen-wheel race cars.
Following the purchase of the Mallala site by South Australia businessman andSports Sedan 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, and the track's biggest annual event becameHistoric Mallala which was held each Easter.[11] This was upgraded to an "A" track license in 1984, allowing Mallala to stage Round 5 of the1984 Australian Formula 2 Championship on 3 June won by Keith McClelland driving aCheetah Mk 8-VW. This was the first national championship round to be staged at the circuit since the final round of the1971 Australian Sports Car Championship on 14 November 1971 won byJohn Harvey driving aMcLaren M6B-Repco.
National championship motor racing continued sporadically over the next few years, but the circuit was brought back into national focus when it was chosen over Adelaide International to host a round of the Australian Touring Car Championship each year from 1989 to 1998. When that championship evolved into theShell Championship Series in 1999, the Mallala round was replaced by theClipsal 500, held on a shortened version of theAdelaide Street Circuit in an exclusive deal betweenV8 Supercars and theJohn Olsen ledGovernment of South Australia. A round of the second tierV8 Supercar Development Series was held at Mallala Motor Sport Park each year from 2000 to 2006 before also moving to the Adelaide Street Circuit in 2007.
On 7 May 1989, Mallala had the honour of hosting the first everFormula Holden race as part of the opening round of the1989 Australian Drivers' Championship. Mark McLaughlin driving a South Australian designed and builtElfin FA891 won the opening heat of the meeting from former dualAustralian Formula 2 champion Peter Glover, with television commentator turned race driverNeil Crompton finishing third.
Currently the main meetings held annually are the Mallala Historics each Easter and a round of theShannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships staged shortly afterwards.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 event being in late 2009. Major meetings at Mallala are run by theSporting Car Club of South Australia 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 theSouth Australia Police use the circuit for driver training and assessment.
The Mallanats is an annual car show held at the circuit since 2009. The weekend includes burnout competitions and various performance car events similar to theSummernats format. The event returned once a year in 2010 and 2011, with two Mallanats events being scheduled in 2012.
TheElfin Mallala sports racing car was named after the circuit, having competed in its first race there.
Following the passing of owner Clem Smith in February 2017 thePeregrine Corporation, owners ofThe Bend Motorsport Park, purchased the complex and took over the operations in May the same year.[12]Peregrine Corporation is owned by the Shahin family who previously ownedOn the Run in Australia.
In just its second race meeting, the Mallala Race Circuit hosted the1961 Australian Grand Prix. The race was won byLex Davison driving aCooper T51Coventry Climax FPF fromBib Stillwell, withDavid McKay finishing third. McKay finished first on the road, but was controversially penalised 60 seconds for an alleged jump start.
| Year | Driver | Car | Entrant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formula Libre | |||
| 1961 | Lex Davison | Cooper T51 | BS Stillwell |
Each year from 1960 to 1968 theAustralian Touring Car Championship was contested as single race, with Mallala hosting the title in 1963 on its original 3.38 km (2.1 mi) layout. From 1969 onwards the championship was contested over a number of rounds with Mallala hosting a round each year from 1969 to 1971 and from 1989 to 1998. From 1972 to 1988 all ATCC rounds inSouth Australia were held at theAdelaide International Raceway. In 1999 the Australian Touring Car Championship was renamed to the Shell Championship Series with all South Australian rounds from that time held at a modified (shortened) version of theAdelaide Street Circuit.
In 1989 when the ATCC returned to Mallala after an absence of 18 years, the tight and bumpy circuit received mixed reviews from the toptouring car drivers. Some, such asNissan driverJim Richards praised the circuit stating that the racing would be closer as it did not allow the all-powerfulFord Sierra RS500's to fully utilise their speed advantage. Others such as reigning (and that years) ATCC championDick Johnson were openly critical of the circuit and its lack of facilities, though some cynically noted that other thanBathurst, Johnson wouldn't admit to liking any circuit located outside of his home state ofQueensland. Ironically, Dick Johnson would actually win the 1989 ATCC race at Mallala rather easily, claiming pole position and sprinting away from the field to win by 29 seconds after 60 minutes of racing. To his credit circuit owner Clem Smith would use the profits made from hosting Australia's highest profile race series which would regularly draw a capacity crowd despite not always having good weather, to continually upgrade the facilities at Mallala until the championship moved to Adelaide in 1999.[13]
The following table lists the winner of the single race 1963 championship and the winners of each Australian Touring Car Championship round held at the Mallala circuit.
Mallala hosted theAustralian Super Touring Championship (known as the Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship in 1993 and Australian Manufacturers' Championship in 1994) 8 times between 1993 and 2000–01.
Mallala Motor Sport Park hosted a round of theV8 Supercar Development Series each year from the inception of the series in 2000 through to 2006. Since 2007 allSouth Australian rounds have been held at theAdelaide Parklands Circuit.
Mallala Race Circuit hosted the South Australian round of the annualAustralian Drivers' Championship each year from 1961 to 1971. Mallala Motor Sport Park has hosted rounds in numerous years since 1988 including hosting the inauguralFormula Holden race in1989..
Australian Formula 2 Championship raced at Mallala 6 times between 1971 and 1988. The 1984 championship races were the first time the circuit had been used for CAMS sanctioned national championship racing of any category since 1971.
| Year | Winner | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Henk Woelders | Elfin 600C | Bill Patterson Racing |
| 1984 | Keith McClelland | Cheetah Mk 8 | Keith McClelland |
| 1985 | Peter Glover | Cheetah Mk 8 | Peter Macrow |
| 1986 | Jon Crooke | Cheetah Mk 8 | Jonathon Crooke |
| 1987 | Mark McLaughlin | Elfin 852 | Elfin Sports Cars Pty Ltd |
| 1988 | Rohan Onslow | Cheetah Mk 8 | RJ MacArthur Onslow |
TheAustralian Sports Sedan Championship raced at Mallala 6 times between 1991 and 2003.
| Year | Winner | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Mick Monterosso | Ford Escort Mark IIChevrolet | Mick Monterosso |
| 1992 | Brian Smith | Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTVChevrolet | B. Smith |
| 1998 | Tony Ricciardello | Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTVChevrolet | Basil Ricciardello |
| 1999 | Tony Ricciardello | Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTVChevrolet | Basil Ricciardello |
| 2000 | Kerry Baily | Nissan 300ZXChevrolet | Kerry Baily |
| 2003 | Tony Ricciardello | Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTVChevrolet | Basil Ricciardello |
TheAustralian Nations Cup Championship raced at Mallala in 2004. It would be the final ever round of the Nations Cup Championship forGT style cars.
| Year | Winner | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | James Brock | Holden Monaro 427C | Team Brock |
TheAustralian GT Championship raced at Mallala in 2006.
| Year | Winner | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Bryce Washington | Porsche 911 (996) GT3 Cup | ADRAD Radiator Experts |
As of February 2024, the fastest official race lap records at Mallala Motor Sport Park are listed as:[14][15]
