1984 Australian Sports Car Championship

The 1984 Australian Sports Car Championship was a national motor racing title for drivers of Sports Cars complying with CAMS Group A regulations. Due to the relatively small number of Group A Sports Cars competing, grids were often filled with amateur Clubman racers.

Queensland based owner/driver Bap Romano won the series driving his Romano WE84 Cosworth from 1982 champion Chris Clearihan (driving the Kaditcha-Chevrolet that Peter Hopwood used to win the 1983 Championship) and Andrew Roberts driving a self designed Roberts S2 Ford.

Romano dominated the series, continuing on from the final round of the 1983 Championship at Winton. Despite only being seen only a 'gentleman racer', and with engineering help from former Williams and Tyrrell Formula One mechanic Wayne Eckersley transforming the Barry Lock built car, Romano put the renamed WE84 (formerly called a Kaditcha K583) on Pole Position at every round, scored fastest lap at for each race he contested (Clearihan scored fastest lap in Heat 2 of Round 1) and he won all bar Round 1 at Calder Raceway where he crashed heavily in Heat 1, and was a non-starter in Heat 2.

The expected challenge from Alan Newton in his Elfin MS7-Chevrolet (the same model that Elfin Sports Cars founder Garrie Cooper had used to win the championship 9 years earlier) came to a premature end during the first lap of the second heat at the opening round at Calder. Sitting in second behind Clearihan going down Calder's back straight, the cars throttle jammed open going into the braking area and Newton veered left, running at high speed across the infield until hitting a small rise which saw the Elfin literally fly across the track (it was airborne for approximately 20 metres) before landing and hitting the guardrail at undiminished speed. Thankfully Newton survived the crash with nothing more than a busted knee and broken ankle (later during the race Newton was shown by race broadcaster Channel 7 sitting up and talking to medical staff as he was being loaded into an ambulance). Although the Elfin suffered heavy damage in the crash, it was later repaired though it took no further part in the series. Another possible challenger, Terry Hook and his 5.0 litre, ex-Guy Edwards run Lola T610 Chevrolet never got going in the championship. Hook's Lola first appeared at Surfers Paradise for Round 2 but Hook became spooked at the car's front end lifting at high speed and it became a static display. After also appearing in practice for the Oran Park round, the car would not be seen again until 1985.

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