The Categories

The Australian Motor Racing Series brings together some of the most exciting racing on circuits today. The line up for 2006 is as follows:

The Australian Touring Car Challenge (ATCC) continues to grow in popularity and support, not bad for a category that many said wouldn’t get off the ground in the first place.

Formulated in 2003 by Garry Willmington and Rod Dale, the ATCC, which celebrates over 20 years of Touring Car history, was thought up with the aim of bringing to together V8 Supercars, Super Tourers, Future Tourers and Group A into one category under a unique handicapping race system.

Since then, the ATCC has enjoyed a rapid growth and this year has seen an average car count of 20 cars and the series has ventured to circuits in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

The ATCC race action has been spectacular to say the least and this has seen numerous race winners mainly due to a well constructed handicapping system, which has enticed many to join the series.

“After testing the water last year [2004], we are better prepared this year [2005] and the racing has indicated that,” said ATCC director Garry Willmington. “We have seen an increase in competitor numbers, along with different winners from all classes, and this will only buoy well for the future.”

The 2005 “series has been very competitive and many of these races have been decided in the final laps,” explained Willmington. “It is also safe to say that almost every driver that has competed this year has spent time leading a race. The close nature of the ATCC series is well and truly reflected in the point standings.”

Australian Formula 4000 Championship, established in 1989 heads into its eighteenth year in 2006. In a time where the category cannot stagnate but must progress, the necessity for evolution has become apparent. 'Formula 4000 powered by Holden’ incorporating a new focus and direction is well on the way to ensuring it maintains a prominent position in Australasian motor sport.

The ‘domestic’ Holden Formula 4000 Drivers’ Championship will grow to a sixteen race, eight round series, spread throughout the Australian mainland from the picturesque Wakefield Park Circuit to the technical Winton Raceway. This contrast in racetracks allows ‘up and coming’ drivers to refine their talent in varying conditions and environments, providing spectators with sensational wheel to wheel action. 

Renewed interest and investment by General Motors Holden has enabled the category to incorporate the all new V6 Alloytec race-spec 3.6L power plant.  The engine, which has equivalent ‘top-end’ horsepower and greater mid-range torque than its predecessor, will ensure that Formula 4000 remains the fastest racing category in Australasia.

The national and international exposure created by Formula 4000 is a great opportunity for sponsors and aspiring champions to reach the widest possible audience of motor sport enthusiasts in Australia and Overseas.

Based on a concept developed in Europe in the 1990's, and reviving the original roots of Australian Open-Wheeler racing, the OZ BOSS Championship is an exciting new development in Australian Motor Racing. OZ BOSS is short for Australian Big Open Single Seaters, and that's what makes the championship such an exciting prospect. OZ BOSS will feature the very fastest Motor Racing in Australia. The category will be open to cars from the following International series:

• Formula One

• Indy Car

• Champ Car

• Formula 3000

• Formula Nippon

• Formula 4000

• Formula 5000

A short list, but undoubtedly the most exciting open-wheeled categories on the planet, and it sets the stage for some awesome David-and-Goliath battles - reminiscent of the days when Frank Matich in his little Formula 2 took on the big boys of Formula 1.

OZ BOSS is seen as a unifying move in Australian Open-Wheeler Motor Sport, and you have the chance, in 2006, to witness it's beginning...

The OZ BOSS Championship will be incorporated in various rounds of the 2006 Formula 4000 Championship.

Thunder Sports is a series for Sports Cars in Australia from prototype through to production sports cars. With cars such as Norax, Saker, Jaguar and brands including BMW, Mazda, Porsche, Ferrari.

Thunder Sports is set to open up Sports Car racing to a massive variety of Sports Car types, with a minimum of restrictions and maximum speed. Rather than dividing Sports Cars and declaring selected cars ineligible, Thunder Sports will unite a wide variety of cars and present an awesome spectacle.

The Thunder Sports cars will have engines ranging from naturally aspirated 4-cylinders to massive V-12s. They'll have bodies ranging from normal road-type cars to full-blown Le-Mans style Sports Cars.

Thunder Sports will truly make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end...

Super Tin Tops, commonly referred to as Super TT is a series for Sedan Racing Cars in Australia from cars previously eligible to run as Saloon Cars, Improved Production, Sports Sedans and Commodore Cup cars.

Super TT will provide a racing home for a diverse range of machinery with nowhere else to race under current regulations. There will also be a division for Japanese turbo and non-turbo charged cars.

The point scoring and racing format will be similar to the Touring Car Challenge, and the similar diversity of cars promises plenty of close racing and overtaking that should prove highly popular with fans and competitors alike...

The ubiquitous 3.3 Litre Holdens take to racing circuits in 2006, as part of the Australian Motor Racing Series. Yes, the thrills, spills and great racing that the 3.3 Litre Holdens provide will be coming to a circuit near you.

3.3 Litre Holdens are part of the foundation of Australian Motor Racing - taking a family car, performing some basic modifications and turning it into a racing car. The 3.3 Litre Holdens are cars everybody recognises and are affordable Motor Racing at its best - the limited modifications permitted ensure maximum safety, but also keep costs to a minimum, and also ensure that the cars are very evenly matched. The parity of the cars means that driver skill and persistence are what get the racers to the front. The evenly matched cars make the racing some of the closest and most exciting on the track.

Don't miss a moment of the action of 3.3 Litre Holden Racing, part of the 2006 Australian Motor Racing Series.

Have you ever wished you could race cars, but thought you couldn't afford it?

Well think again, the Production Touring Car Championship is designed with low costs in mind.

But I need a Race Car and I don't have hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy one. Well, with some minor modifications you can race your street car! That's right, all cars competing in this series must be Street Legal at all times.

All you need to add* to your street car is: Roll Over Protection, a Racing Seat Belt and a Fire Extinguisher.

*Please read the technical and sporting regulations which are available on the competitor info page.

Some of the greatest interest in Australian Motor Racing is for historic Touring Cars. Fans across Australia love the classic look and style of the cars, the classic handling, and great racing that it creates, and the David-and-Goliath battles between the big cars like Falcons, Mustangs and Camaros, and the small cars like Minis and Cortinas.

In 2006, the Australian Motor Racing Series will incorporate a brand new category for these historic cars – the Classic Touring category will be open to all historic Touring Cars.

The category will see a return to the roots of Australian Motor Racing.

The racing will watched by thousands enthusiastic race fans young and old, at circuits around Australia, and it will be watched by hundreds of thousands of race fans on TVs around Australia and Internationally.

© AMRS 2005