Claremont Speedway
| The National Capital of Speed | |
|---|---|
| Location |
Claremont Showgrounds, Claremont, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 31°58′32″S 115°47′07″E / 31.97556°S 115.78528°ECoordinates: 31°58′32″S 115°47′07″E / 31.97556°S 115.78528°E |
| Capacity | 20,000 |
| Owner | Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia |
| Operator | Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia |
| Broke ground | 1904 |
| Opened | 1905 (showground) 1927 (speedway) |
| Closed | 2000 (speedway) Still operating as Claremont Showgrounds |
| Major events |
Australian Sprintcar Championship Australian Speedcar Championship Australian Super Sedan Championship Australian Solo Championship Australian Sidecar Championship World Sprintcar Championship World Series Sprintcars Various WA State Championships |
| Oval | |
| Surface | dolomite / clay |
| Length | 0.364 mi (0.586 km) |
The Claremont Speedway was a racing circuit in the grounds of the Claremont Showgrounds in the suburb of Claremont in Western Australia's capital city of Perth. The speedway held its first meeting on 14 May 1927, and its final meeting on 31 March 2000.
Barriers and fences were improved over time to prevent out of control vehicles from entering the spectator areas. During its 72-year operation the speedway hosted numerous Western Australian championships as well as national championships including the Australian Sprintcar Championship, the Australian Speedcar Championship, the Australian Super Sedan Championship, the Australian Solo Championship, and the Australian Sidecar Championship. The speedway also hosted various rounds of the World Series Sprintcars. Claremont hosted the first ever round of the inaugural World Series Sprintcars on 1 December 1987.
The Speedway was 586 metres (641 yards) in length. This made it the largest continually used speedway in an Australian state capital with the next biggest being the 509 metres (557 yards) Sydney Showground Speedway which closed for regular meetings in 1980 (the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds track was 610 metres (670 yards) long but it was only used infrequently, hosting at best one meeting per season). In its early days, the Claremont track was in fact larger than what it ended up as (approximately 650 metres (710 yards)). However, the track was taken over to include seating in the spectator areas and was relaid to its 586 metre length.
Soon after the development of the circuit records were set
In 1987, Claremont Speedway held the first, and to date only, Sprintcar World Championship. The three-day meeting featured the top drivers from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, as well as drivers from America's famed World of Outlaws series including the "King" of Sprintcar racing (and regular Australian visitor) Steve Kinser, and the youngest driver in the event, 15-year-old Jeff Gordon. The event was won by legendary Australian driver Garry Rush from local Perth driver Alf Barbagallo, with American driver Danny Lasoski finishing third.
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