Queensland Race Tracks
South-east Queensland is fortunate enough to be home of 3 of, arguably, the best motor sport circuits in Australia.
Their proximity to the state capital of Brisbane make them all attractive venues when planning our sprint events.
These three tracks are:
- Queensland Raceway
- Lakeside Park
- Morgan Park
Queensland Raceway
Queensland Raceway nicknamed “the paperclip” is a motor racing circuit located at Willowbank in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. The circuit plays host to V8 Supercars, the Australian Superbike Championship, drifting as well as club level racing and ride days.
Queensland Raceway is 3.12 kilometres (1.94 mi) long and 12 metres (39 ft) 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.
The circuit is licenced by Australian motorsport’s two peak bodies, CAMS Limited and Motorcycling Australia, but generally sanctions its race meeting under the Australian Auto Sport Alliance. It runs its own championship series, the Queensland Racing Drivers Championship.
Spectator viewing at the track 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 the track was re-surfaced late in 2011.
Queensland Raceway is located within the bounds of the Ipswich Motorsport Precinct, which is also home to the Willowbank Raceway dragstrip, a kart track and a short dirt circuit. The track is also located near RAAF Base Amberley and shares the base’s 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) noise exclusion zone.
Lakeside Park
Lakeside Park, formerly known as Lakeside International Raceway is a motor racing circuit located at Pine Rivers 30 km (18.6 mi) north of Brisbane and lies adjacent to Lake Kurwongbah.
The circuit is known as the spiritual home of Queensland motorsport was built by volunteers and borrowed machinery in the 1960s. The 2.41 km (1.50 mi) circuit opened in 1961 and was closed in mid-2001. The circuit reopened on 5 April 2008, with a race meeting held the following day.
Morgan Park Raceway
Morgan Park Raceway is a motorsports complex located at Old Stanthorpe Road near Warwick, in Queensland, Australia and is operated by the Warwick District Sporting Car Club Inc. The venue features a race circuit with five different layouts.
The initial 730 metre race circuit was constructed in 1968 and the first race meeting was staged in March of the following year. The circuit was bitumen sealed in 1997 and an extension to 1.2 km was subsequently undertaken.[1] A further extension to 2.1 km was completed in 2002 and the venue hosted its first Queensland Motor Racing Championships round the same year.[1] In 2007 it hosted its first national championship races, the Formula Vee Nationals and the Australian Improved Production Nationals.
The new 3.0 kilometre layout was first used on the weekend of 14/15 August 2010 for a round of the Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships. This meeting featured a round of Australia’s oldest motor racing championship, the Australian Drivers’ Championship, which was visiting Morgan Park for the first time.
The raceway features sprint events, WDSCC Southern Downs Challenge and Queensland Super Sprint Championships, as well as being the home of the Queensland state championships for motor racing The circuit is also home to Queensland’s biggest historic motor racing festival held in July or August, hosted by the Historic Racing Car Club of Queensland.