The 1993 Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title for drivers of under 2.0-litre cars complying with the provisions of the FISA Class II section of Australian Group 3A Touring Car regulations. It was contested in conjunction with the 1993 Australian Touring Car Championship, which began on 28 February 1993 at Amaroo Park and ended on 8 August at Oran Park Raceway after nine rounds. It was the third Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship and the first for cars aligned with FISA Class II regulations and thus the fore-runner of the Australian Super Touring Championship.
The championship was won by Peter Doulman, driving a 2.0-litre version of his old Group A BMW M3 (the car was an ex-JPS Team BMW and Mobil 1 Racing team car that had been built by Frank Gardner's JPS Team in 1987. Doulman had raced the car since 1989 with a 2.3 L engine). The championship went down to the wire with Doulman beating out the Caltex Team Toyota of John Smith. Smith's Caltex team boss Colin Bond finished third in the championship despite not being a starter in the final round at Oran Park.
Most of the 2.0 Litre field consisted of regular 'baby car class' competitors from Group A, including Frank Binding, Brad Stratton, Mike Conway, and veteran racer Bob Holden.
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1993 Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship.
Team | Car | No. | Driver |
---|---|---|---|
Caltex Team Toyota | Toyota Corolla AE90 FX-GT Toyota Corolla Seca AE93 | 6 | John Smith |
Toyota Corolla Seca AE93 | 8 | Colin Bond | |
Bob Holden Motors | Toyota Sprinter AE86 | 13 | Bob Holden |
75 | Frank Binding | ||
M3 Motorsport | BMW M3 | 52 | John Cotter |
53 | Peter Doulman | ||
Brad Stratton | 72 | ||
Easton Motorsport | Toyota Sprinter AE86 | 77 | Gregg Easton |
Cadillac Productions | Toyota Sprinter AE86 | 79 | |
Malcolm Rea | Toyota Sprinter AE86 | 88 | Ken Talbert Malcolm Rea |
The championship was contested over nine rounds, held across six states.[1]
Rd. | Circuit | Location / state | Date | Winning driver | Car | Team | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Amaroo Park | Sydney, New South Wales | 26–28 Feb | Peter Doulman | BMW M3 | M3 Motorsport | |
2 | Symmons Plains Raceway | Launceston, Tasmania | 12–14 Mar | Peter Doulman | BMW M3 | M3 Motorsport | |
3 | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | Phillip Island, Victoria | 2–4 Apr | Peter Doulman | BMW M3 | M3 Motorsport | |
4 | Lakeside International Raceway | Brisbane, Queensland | 16–18 Apr | Colin Bond | Toyota Corolla Seca AE93 | Caltex Team Toyota | |
5 | Winton Motor Raceway | Benalla, Victoria | 14–16 May | Peter Doulman | BMW M3 | M3 Motorsport | |
6 | Eastern Creek Raceway | Sydney, New South Wales | 4–6 Jun | Colin Bond | Toyota Corolla Seca AE93 | Caltex Team Toyota | |
7 | Mallala Motor Sport Park | Mallala, South Australia | 2–4 Jul | John Smith | Toyota Corolla Seca AE93 | Caltex Team Toyota | |
8 | Barbagallo Raceway | Perth, Western Australia | 9–11 Jul | John Smith | Toyota Corolla Seca AE93 | Caltex Team Toyota | |
9 | Oran Park Raceway | Sydney, New South Wales | 6–8 Aug | Peter Doulman | BMW M3 | M3 Motorsport |
All rounds of the 1993 Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship were staged in conjunction with rounds of the 1993 Australian Touring Car Championship, which was open to both 2.0 Litre Touring Cars and 5.0 Litre Touring Cars.
At the opening round at Amaroo Park both the 2.0 Litre cars and the 5.0 Litre cars had a separate Heat of their own before competing together in the Final. Points towards the 1993 Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis for the first six positions in the 2.0 Litre Heat.
At the Symmons Plains Raceway round only three 2.0 Litre cars were entered (Doulman, Smith and Bond), and they ran together with the 5.0 Litre cars in both the Heat and the Final. Points for the 2.0 Litre championship were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis for the first six positions in the 2.0 Litre class of the Heat. This practice was continued at all subsequent rounds even after 2.0 Litre grids returned to the size displayed at Amaroo.
Whilst drivers of 2.0 Litre cars finishing in the top ten outright positions in the Final were eligible to score points towards the Australian Touring Car Championship,[2] in reality, no 2.0 Litre car finished in the top ten placings in the Final at any round.
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1993 Australian Touring Car season