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58-627: Briggs Motorsport was an Australian motor racing team which represented Queensland-based businessman John Briggs in the sport. The team has competed in Sports Sedans , Australian GT , Formula Holden , and most notably as a touring car team competing in the V8 Supercar Championship Series . The team last competed in historic motor racing and the Australian GT Championship but was folded at

116-457: A 1000 km World Endurance Championship event at Melbourne 's Sandown Raceway (pre-dating the 1985 Australian Grand Prix Formula One race in Adelaide by 11 months). One of the spectators at the event was Adelaide based Australian Sports Car Championship competitor and professional photographer Bernie van Elsen who was inspired to build an Australian Group C sports car. At the time it

174-602: A Porsche 956 style full width rear wing (a small front wing was also used when extra downforce was needed), and to comply with the Group C and IMSA GTP regulations featured the pedal box behind the front axle. The car was completed with a full fibreglass body. The car, named the VESKANDA (for V an E lsen S pecial K AND A ), was the second closed top, ground effect racing sports car built in Australia following on from

232-420: A Repco Holden V8 and later a 5.0 and 6.0 litre Chevrolet) that Tony Edmonson drove to win the 1980 and 1981 Australian Sports Car titles. Van Elsen purchased an old Lola T400 F5000 car to use its suspension, transmission and 4,958 cc (302.6 cu in) Chevrolet V8 engine which produced approximately 520 bhp (388 kW; 527 PS). The Veskanda also featured an aluminum monocoque and

290-783: A diagnosis of prostate cancer, Briggs recently announced his retirement from competitive motorsports. He then sold the VesKanda to Perth based racer Paul Stubber , who would take the car to drive in the Historic Group C sports car races held in Europe during 2012. Motorsport#Motor racing Different manifestations of motorsport with their own objectives and specific rules are called disciplines. Examples include circuit racing , rallying and trials . Governing bodies, also called sanctioning bodies, often have general rules for each discipline, but allow supplementary rules to define

348-433: A distance of eight miles. It was won by the locomotive of Isaac Watt Boulton , one of six he said he had run over the years, perhaps driven by his 22-year-old son, James W. The race was against Daniel Adamson's carriage, likely the one made for Mr. Schmidt and perhaps driven by Mr. Schmidt himself. The reports do not indicate who was driving, since both were violating the red-flag law then fully in force. Boulton's carriage

406-593: A high-speed test, car handling manoeuvres can be tested such as precision drifting , donuts, handbrake turns, reversing and so on. Other disciplines of automobile sport include: The international motorcycle sport governing body recognised by the International Olympic Committee is the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Disciplines include: The international powerboating governing body recognised by

464-591: A hill, at private and closed roadways where higher speeds and distances can be reached than at an autotesting course for example. Time attack are terms used by series that run sprints at racing circuits where competitors try to set the quickest lap time rather than racing head-to-head with others. Time trials are run by the Sports Car Club of America , amongst others. Rallysprints are mainly sanctioned and held in continental Europe. Ultimately, they are similar to other time trial sprints but originate from

522-452: A race is between competitors running head-to-head, in its International Sporting Code, the FIA defines racing as two or more cars competing on the same course simultaneously. Circuit racing takes place on sealed-surface courses at permanent autodromes or on temporary street circuits . Competitors race over a set number of laps of the circuit with the winner being the first to finish, or for

580-464: A sealed surface such as asphalt or concrete. Notable off-road races on open terrain include the Baja 1000 desert race, organised by SCORE International . The FIA authorise Extreme E , an electric off-road series whose organisers have announced a hydrogen fuel series, Extreme H, to begin in 2025. Examples of off-road racing disciplines and series include: Drag racing is an acceleration contest from

638-436: A set length of time with the winner having completed the highest number of laps, with others classified subsequently. Circuit racing replaced point-to-point (city-to-city) racing early in the history of motorsport, for both spectator appeal and as safety concerns brought in regulation of the sport, forcing organisers to use closed, marshalled and policed circuits on closed public roads. Aspendale Racecourse in Australia in 1906

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696-399: A standing start along a short and straight course. Vehicles of various types can compete, usually between two vehicles. Winners can be the first to finish of competing pairs or by setting the fastest time, and competitions may have heats and/or series of runs. Kart racing is a form of circuit racing using very small and low vehicles not considered as automobiles known as go-karts. It is one of

754-640: A welcome on-track return at the Historic Sandown meeting in 2007 (with what Briggs described as a "very tired" 5.8 L V8 engine installed). Brigg's later got the chance to run it against other historic sports cars (including the Porsche 956 ) at the Phillip Island Classic meeting in 2011. The Veskanda is currently owned and was driven in classic sports car events in Europe (including the very wet Le Mans Legend race in 2012 where

812-515: A year later it expanded to a two car team with John Briggs driving an AU Falcon and executive of the team's leading sponsor, Supercheap Auto, Bob Thorn in the older EL Falcon from the year before. In September 1999, Briggs bolstered his operation after purchasing the Perth based PAE Motorsport team, absorbing the Caterpillar backed Ford of John Bowe into the team. The team ran a single car for

870-453: Is a form of motorsport where drivers intentionally lose rolling traction in corners through oversteering but maintain momentum with effective throttle control, clutch use and corrective steering. In competition a panel of judges award marks on artistry and car control through the corner or series of corners. Competitions often feature pairs of cars driving together where a lead car and a chase car go head-to-head, with only one car going through to

928-419: Is a one-off, Australian designed and built, mid-engined closed top racing car built in 1985 to CAMS Group A Sports Car specifications. Powered by a Chevrolet V8 engine , the car is generally regarded as the fastest sports car ever built in Australia and as of 2016 remains one of Australia's fastest race cars. In December 1984, Australia held its first ever FIA World Championship motor racing event,

986-498: Is called a series, and a grouping of competitions often forms the basis of a championship , cup or trophy . Not all nations have a sporting authority affiliated with the FIA, some disciplines may not fall within the FIA's remit of control, or organisations may choose to ignore the claim of the authority of others. Examples include banger racing and stock car racing in the United Kingdom which are claimed by both

1044-410: The 1986 championship , CAMS lifted the engine capacity limit for Over 3 litre cars from 5,000 cc (305.1 cu in) to 6,000 cc (366.1 cu in). van Elsen, along with most other Chevrolet V8 runners, took advantage of the new rules and replaced the 5.0 litre V8 with the more powerful (590 bhp (440 kW; 598 PS)) Chevrolet 350 (5.8 litre) V8. Like most Chevrolet users in

1102-529: The Australian GT Championship , before moving back into open wheelers with a Ralt RT21 Formula Holden in 1989 . K&A Engineering ran Briggs in both vehicles. Briggs again competed in Sports Sedans during the early-mid 1990s, winning the 1996 Australian Sports Sedan Championship with a Honda Prelude - Chevrolet . Briggs Motor Sport made its debut in the 1997 in a Ford EF Falcon for team owner John Briggs, in 1998 it campaigned an EL Falcon,

1160-664: The International Olympic Committee is the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM). The organisation's origins date back to 1922. The international air sports governing body recognised by the International Olympic Committee is the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). The FAI also governs non-powered air sport such as gliding and ballooning, however its motorised sports include: Veskanda The Veskanda C1 (more commonly known as just "Veskanda")

1218-525: The Romano WE84 designed and built by Queensland based Kaditcha owner Barry Lock in 1982. The Romano, which started life named the Kaditcha K583, was powered by a, ex- McLaren Cosworth DFV Formula One V8 engine and had dominated the 1984 Australian Sports Car Championship in the hands of its owner Bap Romano (van Elsen had finished 28th in the championship driving a Bolwell Nagari ). By

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1276-694: The United States , dirt track racing became popular. After World War II , the Grand Prix circuit became more formally organised. In the United States, stock car racing and drag racing became firmly established. The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), formed in 1904, is the oldest and most prominent international governing body. It claims to be the sole international motor sporting authority for automobiles and other land vehicles with four or more wheels, whilst acknowledging

1334-455: The 3.219 km (2.000 mi) Surfers Paradise circuit (1:04.3) was not beaten by the time the circuit closed in 1987. Bowe and the Veskanda were again expected to dominate the 1987 Australian Sports Car Championship which was only run over 3 rounds after the 3 final rounds were canceled due to a lack of entries (which some blamed on the Veskanda's dominance). However, engine problems in

1392-583: The 6.0 litre Veskanda Chevrolet attained the top speed on the Mulsanne Straight with 259 km/h (161 mph) on its way to 8th place) by Western Australian driver/enthusiast Paul Stubber. Driving in the Group C - C1 historic sports car series which raced at such tracks as Le Mans , Silverstone , Donington , Nürburgring , Imola , Paul Ricard and Spa-Francorchamps , Stubber finished in 10th place in 2012 and 5th place in 2013. The 650  hp (485  kW ), 6.0 L Chevrolet V8 currently in

1450-631: The ASNs must be obtained to organise events using their rules, and their licenses must be held by participants. Not all ASNs function in the same manner, some are private companies such as Motorsport UK, some are supported by the state such as France's FFSA, or in the case of the US's ACCUS, a council of sanctioning bodies is the national representative at FIA meetings. ASNs, their affiliated clubs or independent commercial promotors organise motorsport events which often include competitions . A collective of events

1508-602: The FIA's Group C rules while also being compliant to the American IMSA GT Championship regulations. K&A were already prominent in Australian motor racing having rebuilt John Briggs ' rapid Dekon Chevrolet Monza which had raced in the national Sports Sedan and GT championships during the early 1980s, and most notably the Don Elliot owned Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV (originally powered by

1566-639: The Oshkosh and the Green Bay (the machines were referred to by their town of origin). This is examined and illustrated in detail in The Great Race of 1878 by Richard Backus, Farm Collector, May/June 2004. In 1894, the French newspaper Le Petit Journal organised a contest for horseless carriages featuring a run from Paris to Rouen. This is widely accepted as the world's first motorsport event, and

1624-690: The Oval Racing Council and the National Stock car Association, despite the claim by the FIA affiliated ASN, Motorsport UK , to be the "governing body of all four-wheel motorsport in the UK". SCORE International , National Auto Sport Association and National Off-Road Racing Association of the United States are also not members of the FIA affiliation system but may work with members for international matters. Although English dictionaries do not unanimously agree and singularly define that

1682-513: The Veskanda in the 1988 Australian Sports Car Championship which (as of 2016) would prove to be the final Australian Sports Car Championship ever run. The car did run in some local South Australian based sports car and sports sedan races through the year including being driven by noted Adelaide sports sedan racer Mick Monterosso who set the short circuit lap record in the car at the Adelaide International Raceway. After

1740-412: The authority of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) over vehicles with one to three wheels, which FIM calls motorcycle sport. FIM and FIA are both recognised as international sports federations by the International Olympic Committee . Within the FIA's structure, each affiliated National Sporting Authority ( ASN ) is recognised as the sole authority in their nation. Permission of

1798-537: The canceled 1985 and 1986 World Sportscar Championship races (and a rumoured WSC race at Surfers Paradise in 1986 which eventually fell through), Sandown in Melbourne was again to host the final round of the 1988 World Sportscar Championship . Unlike the 1984 race, the FIA did not allow Australian sports cars and sports sedans to enter the event as they did not conform to the WSC regulations. However, as his car did comply to

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1856-519: The cars and courses used in special stage rallying with the elements of navigation and itinerary removed, and not necessarily requiring a co-driver to call pacenotes . Rallying involves driving to a set itinerary, following a prescribed route and arriving and departing at control points at set times with penalties applied for diverging from the route or arriving late and early. Rallies nearly always involve routes on open roads, closed special stages are used on some rallies where competitors drive against

1914-530: The cars debut by two months, Bowe debuted the car in Round 4 of the series at AIR. Bowe would take his first win in the series in the next round at Calder Park in Melbourne, easily defeating the previously dominant Kaditcha Chevrolet of Chris Clearihan (the eventual series champion) and the Lola T610 Chevrolet of Terry Hook. Bowe's late series run would see him finish 7th in the championship. For

1972-487: The championship, van Elsen chose the 5.8 litre engine rather than a 6.0 litre engine due to the fuel limit per race imposed by CAMS (bringing the championship in line with the FIA's WSC regulations). With the new power plant in the Veskanda, Bowe would completely dominate the 1986 ASCC. He scored pole position at all 5 rounds, won all 7 races that made up the championship and set fastest lap in each race (all class lap records), including outright circuit records at Calder Park and

2030-516: The character of a particular competition, series or championship. Groups of these are often categorised informally, such as by vehicle type, surface type or propulsion method. Examples of categories within a discipline are formula racing , touring car racing , sports car racing , etc. The first prearranged match race of two self-powered road vehicles over a prescribed route occurred in the north west of England at 4:30 A.M. on August 30, 1867, between Ashton-under-Lyne and Old Trafford, Manchester ,

2088-699: The clock, the winner having the shortest, lowest average or total time. Hillclimbing events often include classes of competition for various categories and ages of vehicle and so may be incorporated into car shows or festivals of motoring such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed . Hill climb courses can be short at less than 1 mile, or several miles long such as the 12.42 mile Pikes Peak course in Colorado , USA. Sprints are governed by national FIA member ASNs in United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia, amongst other places. They are held on courses that do not climb

2146-519: The clock. The classification of these rallies are determined by summing the times set with the fastest crews being victorious, as found in the World Rally Championship . This method is often called rally racing or stage rallying informally, whilst rallies that do not include special stages are distinctly regularity rallies . Rallies that include routes that cover terrain off-road are also known as rally raid or cross-country rallies,

2204-710: The end of the 2009 season. John Briggs, a Queenslander who relocated to Adelaide in the early 1980s due to work commitments, drove a Repco Holden powered Matich A50 Formula 5000 to a surprise second place at the 1978 Australian Grand Prix held at Sandown Raceway in Melbourne . Briggs finished two laps behind race winner Graham McRae after many of the pre-race favourites race such as Kevin Bartlett , Alfredo Costanzo , Vern Schuppan , Garrie Cooper , and reigning Australian Drivers' Champion John McCormack , had all experienced various problems or had crashed out of

2262-422: The fast Surfers Paradise International Raceway . Bowe finished the championship with a maximum 120 points, 34.5 points clear of second placed Terry Hook's Lola T610 Chevrolet and 42.5 clear of reigning champion Chris Clearihan driving his Kaditcha Chevrolet. As of August 2016, Bowe's outright lap record at the 2.280 km (1.417 mi) Calder Park circuit (52.69) has yet to be beaten, while his record lap at

2320-598: The fastest Australian qualifier in the 1984 race, Alfredo Costanzo in the Romano Cosworth). Bowe and Johnson would eventually finish in 8th place, 6 laps behind the Schlesser / Jochen Mass Sauber Mercedes but were later disqualified for exceeding the fuel allowance limit (ironically giving Johnson his second WSC DQ in two races as the Monza he drove in 1984 had been disqualified for receiving outside assistance from

2378-439: The general form of time trials and sprints. Hillclimbing is the most widely known form of time-trial due to its status as the only time trial or sprint form to have international FIA championships and endorsement. Its origins begin near the start of motorsport, particularly with the trials held that tested the capabilities of early automobiles to tackle uphill gradients. Contestants complete an uphill course individually and against

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2436-447: The general rule of participants completing a course individually with the intention of setting the shortest time or highest average speed. This form of motorsport can be recreational or when competitive, rules may vary slightly such as whether to include the total time of several runs, the best time set, or the average pace of multiple courses to classify competitors. Qualifying sessions for circuit races and special stages in rallying take

2494-582: The most famous example being the Dakar Rally . In the United States, the National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA) was founded in 1967 along with the Baja 1000 . Since the 1990s, this race has been organised by SCORE International whilst NORRA's events have closer followed the FIA regulations and standards for cross country rallies, although the association has no affiliation to ACCUS , the US's FIA member. Drifting

2552-571: The next few seasons, the team sacking Bowe after Bathurst in 2001, replacing him with emerging New Zealand driver Simon Wills . In 2002 the team expanded to three cars with Betta Electrical Fords for veteran Tony Longhurst and Brazilian open wheel driver Max Wilson . Both drivers were replaced in 2003 with Paul Radisich and Dean Canto for the 2003 season but by August, Briggs had sold the V8 Supercar operation to British outfit Triple Eight Race Engineering , to establish an Australian arm of

2610-494: The next heat or winning the competition. Autocross has multiple general meanings based on country of use. Also known as Autocross in US and Canada and Autoslalom in Continental Europe, these similar disciplines are held in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. They involve precise car control, usually but not always against the clock on very short and compact temporary courses. Rather than being

2668-520: The race team led by Roland Dane , Derek Warwick and Ian Harrison. Briggs stepped back from professional racing at this point and spent several years away from the sport before investing in some historic racing cars, highlighted by the return of the 1985 Veskanda - Chevrolet sports car to race tracks in 2007. Since then Briggs has expanded his operation into the Australian GT Championship, driving and importing Moslers . After

2726-632: The race. Briggs raced a Chevrolet Monza (Dekon chassis #1001) for its owner, John Roberts, which was formerly run in the American-based IMSA GT Championship by Dekon part owner and expatriate Australian Horst Kwech . Roberts had the Monza re-built by Adelaide-based company K&A Engineering for Briggs and he raced it in the Australian Sports Sedan Championship . He later switched from the Monza to an ex- JPS Team BMW 318i Turbo in

2784-510: The race. This and finishing in 4th place in the opening and final rounds allowed Roberts to claim the championship. Bowe's win at Amaroo Park also saw him set the circuit's outright lap record with a 44.36 second lap. This time would remain the outright lap record for the circuit until it closed in 1998. With John Bowe moving to drive the higher profile (in Australia) Group A touring cars full-time in 1988, van Elsen did not enter

2842-434: The regulations, van Elsen entered the Veskanda and again enlisted John Bowe to drive. Bowe was partnered in the event, the 360 km of Sandown Park by his touring car teammate and boss, reigning (and then 4 time) Australian Touring Car Champion Dick Johnson who had driven in the 1984 race driving a similarly powered (6.0 L) Chevrolet Monza . For the event, the Veskanda was upgraded to a 6.0 L Chevrolet V8 engine. Against

2900-527: The sports regulated by FIA (under the name of CIK), permitting licensed competition racing for anyone from the age of 8 onward. It is generally accepted as the most economical form of motorsport available on four wheels. As a free-time activity, it can be performed by almost anybody, and as karting circuits can be indoors and not take as much space as other forms of motorsport, it can be accessible to retail consumers without much qualification or training. Non-racing speed competitions have various names but all carry

2958-542: The time the Veskanda was debuted in 1985, Romano had upgraded from the 3.0 L Cosworth engine to a 3.9 L Cosworth DFL V8 engine developed for sports car racing. The Veskanda was completed by June 1985 and van Elsen enlisted the services of 1984 and 1985 CAMS Gold Star winner John Bowe to drive the car in the 1985 Australian Sports Car Championship . After a test crash at the Adelaide International Raceway (caused by wheel failure) put back

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3016-581: The track marshals). With CAMS closing the Australian Sports Car Championship following 1988 and the Sandown World Championship race again proving to be a one-off, the 1988 360 km of Sandown Park would prove to be the Veskanda's final competitive race. In the following years, the Veskanda remained dormant until it was purchased by former Sports Sedan racer John Briggs who restored the car. It make

3074-524: The wet opening round at Calder Park meant winning back to back titles was a long shot. Bowe would bounce back in rounds 2 and 3 at Amaroo Park and Sandown and would eventually finish 2nd in the championship, 19 points behind Andy Roberts in his self-designed Roberts SR3 powered by a 1.6 litre Ford engine. Under CAMS point scoring rules which gave extra points for lower capacity cars finishing in outright positions, Roberts scored more points (27) for finishing 2nd at Amaroo than Bowe who scored 25 points for winning

3132-417: The world's leading sports cars including the 7.0 L V12 powered Jaguar XJR-9 's from Tom Walkinshaw Racing , the turbocharged 5.0 L Mercedes-Benz V8 powered Sauber C9 's and the Porsche 962 's, Bowe qualified the car in a credible 8th place with a time of 1:35.510, though he was some 6.89 seconds behind the pole winning Sauber C9 of Frenchman Jean-Louis Schlesser (Bowe's time was 2.89 seconds faster than

3190-661: Was developed from a scrapped John Bridge Adams light-rail vehicle. These were solid fired steam carriages. This event and the details of the vehicles are recorded in the contemporary press, The Engineer , and in Fletcher's books. The Wisconsin legislature passed an act in 1875 offering a substantial purse for the first US motor race, which was run on July 16, 1878, over a 200-mile course from Green Bay to Appleton, Oshkosh, Waupon, Watertown, Fort Atkinson and Janesville, then turning north and ending in Madison. Only two actually competed:

3248-483: Was the first purpose-built motor racing track in the world. After which, permanent autodromes popularly replaced circuits on public roads. In North America, the term road racing is used to describe racing and courses that have origins in racing on public highways; distinguished from oval racing , which has origins at purpose-built speedways using concrete or wooden boards . Off-road racing can take place on open terrain with no set path, or on circuits that do not have

3306-645: Was the first to involve what would become known as automobiles. On 28 November 1895, the Chicago Times-Herald race , running from Chicago to Evanston and back, a distance of sixty miles, was held. This is believed to be the first motorsport event in the United States of America. In 1900, the Gordon Bennett Cup was established. Motorsport was a demonstration event at the 1900 Summer Olympics . Following World War I , European countries organised Grand Prix races over closed courses. In

3364-429: Was to be the first of three WSC races at Sandown, but the 1985 and 1986 races which van Elsen planned to enter with the car were eventually canceled. Van Elsen commissioned Adelaide based engineering firm K&A Engineering run by Dale Koennecke (a former engineer for Garrie Cooper 's Ansett Team Elfin ) and Harry Aust to build a Ground effect racing sports car that not only complied to CAMS Group A rules but also to

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