1996 Australian Touring Car Championship Explained
The 1996 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of 5.0 Litre Touring Cars[1] complying with Australian Group 3A regulations.[2] The championship, which was the 37th Australian Touring Car Championship,[3] was promoted as the Shell Australian Touring Car Championship.[4] It was contested over ten rounds between January 1996 and June 1996.[5] The championship was contested earlier in the year than usual as much of telecaster Channel 7's broadcast equipment was required for its 1996 Summer Olympics coverage. 1996 was the last year in which Channel 7 would broadcast the championship until 2007, with Network Ten taking over the broadcast rights from the 1997 season onwards.
The championship was won by Craig Lowndes driving a Holden VR Commodore entered by the Holden Racing Team.
Television coverage
Channel 7's coverage was again a same day delayed broadcast which saw Garry Wilkinson return to the coverage as host and eventually as a commentator alongside Mark Oastler after Andy Raymond was moved from the broadcast booth (where he started the season) to the pits and Brad Jones joined the team as their full-time expert.
Mike Raymond retired from broadcasting full-time after the 1995 Bathurst 1000.
Pre season
At the end of 1995, tobacco sponsorship was prohibited by the Federal Government. A tight sponsorship market resulted in both Gibson Motorsport and Glenn Seton Racing scaling back to one car. Philip Morris sought to circumnavigate this by sponsoring Alan Jones Racing under a generic name.
Teams and drivers
- Movements
- Arrivals / returnees
- Departures
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1996 Australian Touring Car Championship:
Race calendar
The championship was contested over a ten-round series with three races per round.[6]
| Rd. | Circuit | Location / state | Date | Winner | Car | Team | Report |
|---|
| 1 | Eastern Creek Raceway | Sydney, New South Wales | 25 - 27 Jan | Craig Lowndes | Holden VR Commodore | Holden Racing Team | |
|---|
| 2 | Sandown International Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | 2 - 4 Feb | Craig Lowndes | Holden VR Commodore | Holden Racing Team | |
|---|
| 3 | Mount Panorama Circuit | Bathurst, New South Wales | 23 - 25 Feb | John Bowe | Ford EF Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing | |
|---|
| 4 | Symmons Plains Raceway | Launceston, Tasmania | 15 - 17 Mar | Craig Lowndes | Holden VR Commodore | Holden Racing Team | |
|---|
| 5 | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | Phillip Island, Victoria | 12 - 14 Apr | Larry Perkins | Holden VR Commodore | Perkins Engineering | |
|---|
| 6 | Calder Park Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | 26 - 28 Apr | Russell Ingall | Holden VR Commodore | Perkins Engineering | |
|---|
| 7 | Lakeside International Raceway | Brisbane, Queensland | 3–5 May | Craig Lowndes | Holden VR Commodore | Holden Racing Team | |
|---|
| 8 | Barbagallo Raceway | Perth, Western Australia | 24–26 May | Craig Lowndes | Holden VR Commodore | Holden Racing Team | |
|---|
| 9 | Mallala Motor Sport Park | Mallala, South Australia | 31 May - 2 Jun | Craig Lowndes | Holden VR Commodore | Holden Racing Team | |
|---|
| 10 | Oran Park Raceway | Sydney, New South Wales | 14 - 16 Jun | Peter Brock | Holden VR Commodore | Holden Racing Team | | |
|---|
Points system
Championship points were awarded on a 20-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 basis to the top ten finishers in each race.[6]
Results
See also
External links
Notes and References
- Specific Conditions, 1996 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 7-10
- Specifications, 1996 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 7-72
- Records, Titles & Awards, 2002 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 14-7
- Official Programme, Round 9, Shell Australian Touring Car Championship, Mallala, 2 June 1996
- Tracking the Shell Series, Official Programme, Round 9, Shell Australian Touring Car Championship, Mallala, 2 June 1996, pages 91-96
- Pointing the Way, Official Programme, Round 9, Shell Australian Touring Car Championship, Mallala, 2 June 1996, page 88
- 1996 Championship Results, Motor Racing Australia No 25, January / February 1997, page 84
