Mallala Race Circuit
 Track map |
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| Location | Mallala, South Australia |
|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC+09:30 (UTC+10.5 DST) |
| Coordinates | 34°24′54″S 138°30′17″E / 34.41500°S 138.50472°ECoordinates: 34°24′54″S 138°30′17″E / 34.41500°S 138.50472°E |
| Owner | Peregrine Corporation |
| Opened | 19 August 1961 Re-opened: 1980 |
| Major events |
Australian Grand Prix Australian Drivers' Champ. Australian Tourist Trophy Australian Sports Car Champ. Australian Touring Car Champ. V8 Supercar Development 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.
The Mallala Race Circuit, as it was originally known, 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. 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 the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) that the 2.092 km (1.3 mi) Port Wakefield venue, which had hosted the 1955 Australian Grand Prix, was no longer suitable to host the event.
The opening meeting for the new venue was held on 19 August 1961 with Bib Stillwell winning the main event in a Cooper Climax. The 1961 Australian Grand Prix headlined the circuits second meeting with Lex Davison winning his fourth and last AGP driving a Cooper T51 Coventry Climax FPF. The original lap distance of 3.38 km (2.1 mi) was reduced to 2.601 km (1.616 mi) in late 1964 when Bosch Curve was moved closer to the Dunlop Curve Grandstand, thus removing the north eastern leg of the circuit.
Mallala served as South Australia's home of motor sport throughout the sixties and it hosted a round of the Australian Drivers' Championship each year from 1961 to 1971. The Australian Tourist Trophy was held there in 1962 and 1968 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 who at the time owned the Surfers Paradise International Raceway, and was constructing the new Adelaide International Raceway. 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.
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