Queensland Raceway

Queensland Raceway nicknamed "the paperclip" is a motor racing circuit located at Willowbank in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. The circuit hosted Supercars Championship until 2019, drifting as well as club level racing and ride days.

Turn 1 and Dick Johnson Straight

Queensland Raceway
LocationWillowbank, Ipswich, Queensland
Time zoneUTC+10:00
Coordinates27°41′25″S 152°39′9″E
FIA Grade3
OwnerTony Quinn (October 2021–present)
John Tetley (2004–September 2021)
Motorsport Queensland (1999–2003)
Opened1999
Major eventsCurrent:
GT World Challenge Australia (2005–2007, 2013, 2016–2017, 2022–present)
TCR Australia (2019, 2022–present)
Former:
Supercars Championship
Ipswich SuperSprint (1999–2000, 2003–2019)
Queensland 500 (1999–2002)
ASTC (1999)
National Circuit (1999–present)
Length3.126 km (1.942 miles)
Turns6
Race lap record1:04.0661 (New Zealand Simon Wills, Reynard 94D, 1999, Formula Holden)
Sportsman Circuit (1999–present)
Length2.150 km (1.336 miles)
Turns7
Clubman Circuit (1999–present)
Length2.110 km (1.311 miles)
Turns7
Sprint Circuit (1999–present)
Length1.890 km (1.174 miles)
Turns7

Queensland Raceway is 3.126 km (1.942 mi) long and 12 m (13 yd) wide, running clockwise. There are six corners. The circuit was designed by Tony Slattery with input from car and motorcycle racing authorities including CAMS circuit expert Professor Rod Troutbeck.

Queensland Raceway is a FIA Grade 3 circuit.[1] However, the track uses a mixture of sanctioning bodies including Motorsport Australia, AASA and Motorcycling Australia for its events including race meetings, drifting, motorbike ride days and roll racing.

Spectator viewing at the facility is excellent with the flat layout of the circuit and spectator mounds. However the flat layout makes racing less exciting for the competitors than undulating circuits like Phillip Island. The track became infamous for its bumps, although it was resurfaced in late 2011.

Queensland Raceway is located with the bounds of the Ipswich Motorsport Precinct, which is also home to the Willowbank Raceway dragstrip, a kart track, a short dirt circuit and a junior (under-16) motorcycle speedway. The track is also located near RAAF Base Amberley and shares the base's 6 km (3.7 mi) noise exclusion zone.

Configurations

There are three Short Circuit variations of the track in addition to the full circuit:

  • Sportsman 2.150 km (1.336 mi)
  • Clubman 2.110 km (1.311 mi)
  • Sprint 1.890 km (1.174 mi)
  • “Clubman Circuit”
    “Clubman Circuit”
  • “National Circuit”
    “National Circuit”
  • “Sportsman Circuit”
    “Sportsman Circuit”
  • “Sprint Circuit”
    “Sprint Circuit”

The National circuit gets the most use for testing purposes and for major motorsport events. The Clubman circuit is also utilised regularly at state and club level racing. The Sprint circuit also in semi-regular use. The Sportsman circuit, originally optimised for truck racing, is now rarely used.

Dick Johnson Straight

Dick Johnson was honoured on 16 August 2001, when the front straight of the Queensland Raceway was officially named "Dick Johnson Straight".

Johnson, a five-time national champion and three-time Bathurst winner, proudly unveiled a piece of pit-lane wall, which now bears his name and a plaque commemorating the ceremony and Johnson's motor racing achievements. The unveiling was part of the pre-race build-up to the 2001 VIP Petfoods Queensland 500. Johnson was joined by his son Steve during the ceremony as well as a host of V8 Supercar drivers and teams during what was a serious day of testing at the circuit.

Johnson was one of the driving forces behind the development of the Queensland Raceway and made his last competitive drive in a V8 Supercar in 2000's Queensland 500 with son Steve.

Lap records

As of April 2024, the fastest official race lap records at Queensland Raceway are listed as:[2]

Class Driver Vehicle Time Date
National Circuit: 3.126 km (1999–present)
Formula Holden New Zealand Simon Wills Reynard 94D 1:04.0661[3] 11 July 1999
Formula 3 Australia Tim Macrow Dallara F307 1:04.4146 4 August 2013
Sports Sedans Australia Jordan Caruso Audi A4 1:06.8323 6 August 2023
Superbikes Australia Mike Jones Yamaha YZF-R1M 1:07.434[4] 28 April 2024
Group CN Australia John-Paul Drake Wolf F1 Mistral 1:07.9908 6 August 2022
GT3 Australia David Reynolds Audi R8 LMS Evo 1:08.9125 6 August 2022
Supercars Australia James Courtney Holden ZB Commodore 1:09.6591 21 July 2018
Super2 Series Australia Dale Wood Ford FG Falcon 1:10.0451 27 July 2013
Radical Cup Australia Australia Mitch Neilson Radical SR3 RSX 1:10.3777 7 August 2022
Supersport Australia Tom Toparis Yamaha YZF-R6 1:10.596[5] 28 April 2024
Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Thomas Sargent Porsche 911 (991) GT3 Cup 1:10.6046 7 August 2022
Formula 4 Australia Brodie Norris Mygale M14-F4 1:10.9593 6 August 2023
N-GT Australia John Bowe Ferrari 360 N-GT 1:11.0638 15 June 2003
Trans-Am Australia Australia Nathan Herne Ford Mustang Trans-Am 1:12.1499[6] 6 August 2022
Super Touring New Zealand Jim Richards Volvo S40 1:13.8379[3][7] 1 August 1999
Formula Ford Australia Nick Rowe Mygale SJ13 1:13.8758 10 August 2014
TCR Touring Car Australia Jay Hanson Audi RS 3 LMS TCR (2021) 1:13.9090[8] 7 August 2022
Formula Ford 1600 Australia Stewart McColl Van Diemen RF98 1:15.8823[3] 2 July 2000
Touring Car Masters Australia John Bowe Holden Torana SL/R 5000 1:16.3951 30 July 2017
GT4 Australia Lachlan Mineeff Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport 1:16.6327 12 August 2023
Production Touring Cars Australia Aaren Russell BMW M3 (F80) 1:16.8903 6 August 2022
125cc GP Australia Josh Brookes Honda RS125R 1:16.983[9] 4 June 2000
Moto3 Australia Corey Turner Honda NSF250R 1:18.084[9] 16 September 2012
Aussie Racing Cars Australia Mason Harvey Chevrolet Camaro 1:20.188[10] 27 April 2024
Supersport 300 Australia Joshua Newman Kawasaki Ninja 300 1:21.696[11] 27 April 2024
V8 Ute Racing Series Australia Mason Barbera Ford FG Falcon Ute 1:23.3265 29 July 2017
Supersport 300 Australia Top Toparis Kawasaki Ninja 300 1:23.583[9] 10 July 2016
Toyota 86 Racing Series Australia Alice Buckley Toyota 86 1:25.7411 6 August 2023
SuperUtes Australia Ryal Harris Mazda BT-50 1:30.4346 22 July 2018

Future development

A huge accident on 1 May 2010 in a Mini Challenge support race to the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series sparked discussion about the safety of the circuit. However, circuit owner at the time, John Tetley insisted that the track was still safe. TeamVodafone driver Craig Lowndes suggested that Queensland Raceway was long overdue for upgrades including a resurfacing. Tetley stated that resurfacing would be done in late 2010,[12] although major flooding in the south-east Queensland region early in 2011, and the subsequent lack of availability of necessary equipment as devastated roads are repaired has seen that resurfacing delayed for twelve months. In October 2011 the resurfacing was commenced and completed before Christmas.[13]

During July 2016, the Ipswich council announced plans to invest $220 million upgrading Queensland Raceway. The first phase of the project is to extend the length of current circuit.[14] The proposed plans by the council were never followed through with after massive upheaval and controversy.[15] The company responsible (Ipswich Motorsport Park PTY LTD) for the redevelopment was wound up in 2017 and de-registered.

In October 2021 former owner John Tetley and Tony Quinn signed a pact under which the Quinn took the lease, management and operations of Queensland Raceway. Since this time the circuit has seen a big investment to lift its standards and facilities to where they should have been.[16]

Willowbank 300

The Willowbank 300 is held annually at Queensland Raceway as part of the Queensland Endurance Championship.

The Endurance Championship consists of the Ipswich event and the Lakeside Park 300 which is traditionally held in the latter part of the year at the historic circuit north of Brisbane. The Willowbank 300 has been a landmark event on the Queensland Raceway calendar since 2014.

Fatalities at the circuit

There have been five fatalities at the venue since it opened in 1999. Porsche Supercup driver Sean Edwards in 2013 during testing, as well as club-racer Dennis Smith at a sprint event in 2016. Two further deaths occurred when a 32-year-old driver and 41-year-old passenger were killed in August 2017.[17] In 2023, Shane Savage died at the Queensland Raceway after his car rolled.[18]

See also
  • Motorsport in Australia

References
  1. "LIST OF FIA LICENSED CIRCUITS UPDATED ON : 2022-05-12" (PDF). FIA. 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  2. Natsoft Race Results
  3. "Austin 7 Club (S.A.) Inc. - Lap Records". Queensland Raceway. Archived from the original on 25 April 2007. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  4. "2024 Round 3 : April 26–28 - Queensland Raceway - Alpinestars Australian Superbike Championship - Race 1 - Provisional Classification" (PDF). 28 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  5. "2024 Round 3 : April 26–28 - Queensland Raceway - Michelin Supersport Championship - Race 1 - Amended Classification" (PDF). 28 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  6. "2022 Trans Am Queensland Raceway Race 1". Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  7. "ASTC 1999 » Queensland Raceway Round 15 Results". Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  8. "2022 TCR Australia Queensland Raceway Race 2". Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  9. "Queensland Raceway Motorcycle Lap Records" (PDF). Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  10. "2024 Round 2 : April 26–28 - Queensland Raceway - Battery World Aussie Racing Cars - Race 2 - Classification" (PDF). 27 April 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  11. "2024 Round 3 : April 26–28 - Queensland Raceway - Race&Road Supersport 300 Championship - Race 1 (Re-Start After Red Flag) - Provisional Classification" (PDF). 27 April 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  12. "Circuit safe says CEO". v8supercar.com.au. 2 May 2010. Archived from the original on 5 May 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  13. "Bitumen Trucks Arrive At Queensland Raceway". www.speedcafe.com.au. 29 September 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  14. "$220m targeted for Queensland Raceway upgrade". motorsport.com. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  15. "Queensland to sack entire scandal-plagued Ipswich council after fraud charges". the Guardian. Australian Associated Press. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  16. "Quinn takes over Queensland Raceway". autoaction.com.au. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  17. "Two killed in Queensland Raceway crash". motorsport.com. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  18. Pengilley, Victoria (20 September 2023). "Amateur racing advocates insist powercruising is safe after death of man during Queensland race". ABC News. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
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