Road racing is a North American term to describe motorsport racing held on a paved road surface . The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads . The objective is to complete a predetermined number of circuit laps in the least amount of time, or to accumulate the most circuit laps within a predetermined time period. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on public roads. However, public safety concerns eventually led to most races being held on purpose-built racing circuits.
47-676: The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near Ventnor , on Phillip Island , Victoria , Australia . The current circuit was first used in 1952. Along with The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia , the 4.448 km (2.764 mi) long island circuit is one of two race tracks in Australia to carry a FIM Category A track licence which allows for the highest level of motorcycle racing, MotoGP . Phillip Island also carries an FIA Grade 3 track licence. Motor racing on Phillip Island began in 1928 with
94-458: A sprint round . Dick Johnson won the round in his Ford Sierra RS500 , in what was to be his final ever round victory. The event was not held in 1991 or 1992, but was reinstated to the calendar in 1993 , with the sprint format then continuing every year until 2004. By then, the ATCC was known as V8 Supercars . After not appearing on the calendar in 2004, from 2005 to 2007 , Phillip Island hosted
141-517: A part of unofficial practice day, with images distributed online of his recorded Cosworth data showing a lap time of 1:17.005. However, as this time was not set during a race meeting, it does not count as an official lap record. As of October 2024, the fastest official race lap records at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit are listed as: "The Official 50 Race History of the Australian Grand Prix" Ventnor, Victoria Ventnor
188-491: A stand full of spectators, killing 15 and himself. In 1970, Jochen Rindt won the Formula One drivers' championship posthumously, the only man to do so, underlining the continuing risks associated with road racing. The tragedies highlighted the need for improved safety standards for both drivers and spectators; safety would continue to be an issue throughout the 1960s and 1970s. When motorcycle racer Gilberto Parlotti
235-648: Is a small town on Phillip Island in Victoria , Australia . It is the location of the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit . It was named after the town of Ventnor on the Isle of Wight . Quite a number of the roads in Ventnor, Phillip Island are named after other towns and villages on the Isle of Wight . As of the 2021 Australian census , 982 people resided in Ventnor, up from 855 in
282-591: The 2016 census . The median age of persons in Ventnor was 58 years. There were fewer males than females, with 49.6% of the population male and 50.4% female. The average household size was 2.2 people per household. This article about a location in Gippsland (region) is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Road racing Road racing's origins were centered in Western Europe and Great Britain as motor vehicles became more common in
329-787: The Circuit de la Sarthe circuit near the town of Le Mans , France , the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit in Belgium and the Mount Panorama Circuit in Australia. Certain European race circuits were situated in mountainous regions where the topography meant that the roads featured numerous curves and elevation changes, allowing the creation of sinuous and undulating race courses such as the Nürburgring in
376-700: The Detroit Grand Prix , and the Honda Indy Toronto . The popularity of Formula One and motorcycle Grand Prix racing led to the formation of road racing world championships for other types of vehicles. In 1953, the FIA sanctioned a world championship for sports car racing which combined the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Mille Miglia, the 12 Hours of Sebring , the 24 Hours of Spa and the 1000km of
423-637: The Eifel mountains of Germany and the Circuit de Charade in the Chaîne des Puys in the Massif Central of France. These circuits presented such a challenge that they were both feared and respected by racers. The 20.8 km (12.9 mi) long Nurburgring with more than 300 metres (1,000 feet) of elevation change from its lowest to highest points, was nicknamed "The Green Hell" by Jackie Stewart , due to its challenging nature. The sinuous track layout of
470-598: The Grand Finale ; the final round of the V8 Supercars season. In each year, the event decided that year's champion, including in controversial circumstances in 2006 . From 2008 to 2011 , Phillip Island returned to hosting a 500 km race, this time known for sponsorship reasons as the L&H 500 . The Phillip Island 500 replaced Sandown 's Sandown 500 as the annual V8 Supercar 500 km race, an event which
517-773: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway , and the oval, banked speedways constructed in Europe at Monza in 1922 and at Montlhéry in 1924. Road racing on public roads was banned in Great Britain in 1925 when a spectator was injured at the Kop Hill Climb event. The Royal Automobile Club (R.A.C.) and the Auto-Cycle Union (A.C.U.) stopped issuing permits for races on public roads, a policy that has not changed to this day. Donington Park
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#1732802235801564-710: The Nissan Motorsports International team with drivers Julian Bailey and Mark Blundell driving the Nissan R90C were able to lap the circuit in around 1:18 while a 3.0 Litre Mugen V8 powered Dome F3000 (which Crompton drove) was able record similar lap times. At the time the fastest Australian cars that raced at Phillip Island were the 3.8 Litre V6 powered Formula Holdens which were approximately 10 seconds per lap slower. In late October 2018 Mathew Radisich drove his 2011 ex- Conquest Racing IndyCar during testing at Phillip Island as
611-944: The North West 200 and the Ulster Grand Prix . In Formula One, street circuits have made a comeback with the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit and the Baku City Circuit joining the Circuit de Monaco as part of the world championship. There are no street circuits being used in MotoGP racing. . In North America, racing on public streets takes place at the Grand Prix of Long Beach , the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg ,
658-591: The Targa Florio (run on 93 miles (150 km) of Sicilian roads), the 75 miles (121 km) German Kaiserpreis circuit in the Taunus mountains, the 48 miles (77 km) French circuit at Dieppe, used for the 1907 Grand Prix and, the Isle of Man TT motorcycle road circuit first used in 1907. The exceptions were the steeply banked egg-shaped near oval circuit of Brooklands in England , completed in 1906,
705-586: The Australian round of the series. Local riders Peter Goddard ( Yamaha FZR750) and Rob Phillis ( Kawasaki ZXR750) won the two races for what was Round 12 of the season, with Goddard having secured pole position. The World Superbike round continues to be held annually at Phillip Island to this day. In 1990 , the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) returned to the circuit for the first time since 1977 , this time as
752-681: The Charade circuit caused some drivers like Jochen Rindt in the 1969 French Grand Prix to complain of motion sickness , and wear open face helmets just in case. In 1949 the FIM introduced the Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship with the 1949 Isle of Man TT being the inaugural event. With the exception of the Monza circuit, all the Grand Prix races were held on street circuits . The Association Internationale des Automobiles Clubs Reconnus
799-518: The FIM. Another motorcycle racing incident occurred at Monza during the 1973 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix when a racing accident claimed the lives of world champion Jarno Saarinen and Renzo Pasolini . After the von Trips accident in 1961, the Monza Circuit had been lined with steel barriers as a result of demands by automobile racers. Most auto racers believed steel barriers would improve safety for auto racers and spectators, but they had
846-627: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Milwaukee Mile track, or on dirt tracks using widely available horse racing circuits. Automobile dirt track racing would develop into stock car racing . American racing also branched out into drag racing . Road racing traditions in Europe, South America, Great Britain and the British Commonwealth nations grew around races held on paved, public roads such as
893-568: The Isle of Man TT, lost their world championship status due to their considerable safety risk, their popularity continued to flourish leading to a branch of road racing known as Traditional Road Racing . Traditional road racing on closed public roads is popular in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and parts of Europe. The Duke Road Racing Rankings was established in 2002 to establish rider classifications in traditional road racing events such as
940-715: The Nurburgring . NASCAR held its first road race in 1957 at the Watkins Glen International circuit with Buddy Baker as the winner. The FIA launched the European Touring Car Championship in 1963. The FIA created the International Karting Commission (CIK) in 1962 and, in 1964, the first CIK Karting World Championship was won by Guido Sala . Karting has become a significant step in
987-681: The United States was a 54-mile competition from Chicago to Evanston , Illinois and return, held on November 27, 1895. By 1905, the Gordon Bennett Cup , organized by the Automobile Club de France , was considered the most important race in the world. In 1904, the Association Internationale des Automobiles Clubs Reconnus was formed by several European automobile clubs. In 1904 the FIM created
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#17328022358011034-484: The circuit required significant maintenance and slowly declined through the 1970s. It was farmed by its owners while closed and was then sold in 1985 in preparation for reopening, but did not do so until 1988 after agreement on a long-term lease and rebuild agreement. During the time the circuit deteriorated and finally closed, part of the main problem for its owners was that the Phillip Island Bridge from
1081-498: The country and drew large crowds of spectators. The first 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race was held in 1923. The Automobile Racing Club of America was founded in 1933 and became the Sports Car Club of America in 1944. The great majority of road races were run over a lengthy circuit of closed public roads, not purpose-built racing circuits. This was true of the Le Mans circuit of the 1906 French Grand Prix, as well as
1128-611: The development of road racers including Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton . The European Truck Racing Championship was founded in 1985. A Superbike World Championship for road-going production motorcycles was created in 1988 . As road racing grew in popularity it eventually expanded across the globe with Grand Prix road races having been held on six continents. Expansion of the Formula One and MotoGP series has resulted in many dedicated tracks being built, like in Qatar in
1175-520: The driver of the race car, 83 spectators were killed and 120 were injured. Auto racing was temporarily banned in several countries after the Le Mans disaster until safety was improved for spectators. Switzerland would not allow circuit racing until the Zürich ePrix in 2018. The Formula One championship experienced its worst tragedy during the 1961 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, when driver Wolfgang von Trips lost control of his Ferrari and crashed into
1222-575: The early 20th century. After the Second World War, automobile road races were organized into a series called the Formula One world championship sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), while motorcycle road races were organized into the Grand Prix motorcycle racing series and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). The success and popularity of road racing has seen
1269-463: The final motorcycle race meeting was conducted on 30 January 1940. Significant events staged at the Phillip Island road circuit included: In 1951, a group of six local businessmen decided to build a new track. About 2 km (1.2 mi) away from the original circuit, it still bears the corner name signs of the original circuit. As the piece of available land was on the edge of the coast,
1316-609: The international cup for motorcycles. The first international motorcycle road race took place in 1905 at Dourdan , France. After disagreeing with Bennett Cup organizers over regulations limiting the number of entrants, the French automobile manufacturers responded in 1906 by organizing the first French Grand Prix race held at Le Mans. During the 1910s, the Elgin National Road Races held on public roads around Elgin, Illinois attracted competitors from around
1363-439: The island to the Australian mainland reportedly could not carry the heavy vehicles needed to resurface the circuit. This meant that the bitumen surface was a cold mix which easily broke up under the rigours of racing, instead of the standard hot mix which would have allowed a more durable surface. It would not be until the mid-1980s that the bridge would be rebuilt allowing the necessary equipment needed for resurfacing. The circuit
1410-556: The late 1950s sparked to a renewal of interest in road racing in the United States and, led to the construction of new road racing circuits such as Riverside International Raceway , Road America and Laguna Seca . The 1964 United States motorcycle Grand Prix was held at the Daytona International Speedway and led to increased international prominence for the Daytona 200 road race which peaked in 1974 with
1457-769: The number of safety personnel required. These changes saw a dramatic decrease in deaths and accidents. By the 1980s, motorcycle Grand Prix and the Formula One races were held on purpose built race circuits with the exception of the Monaco Grand Prix held on the city streets of Monaco. Street circuits such as the Montjuïc circuit and the Opatija Circuit with their numerous unmovable roadside obstacles, such as trees, stone walls, lampposts and buildings, were gradually removed from world championship competition. Although events held on closed public roads such as
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit - Misplaced Pages Continue
1504-492: The opposite effect for motorcyclists and proved fatal for Saarinen and Pasolini. The dangers of street circuits was further exposed at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix held on the twisty, tree-lined Montjuich circuit in Barcelona. The racing drivers found that the circuit's safety barriers had been shoddily installed and threatened to strike if the barriers were not brought up to standard. Under pressure from race organizers,
1551-651: The race was started only to be stopped after 29 laps when the car of Rolf Stommelen plowed into the crowd, killing four spectators. By the late 1970s, the popularity of Grand Prix road racing attracted corporate sponsors and lucrative television contracts which, led to an increased level of professionalism. Road racers organized to demand that stricter safety regulations be adopted by sanctioning bodies in relation to race track safety and race organizers requirements. Race circuits that had originally been public roads were widened and modified to include chicanes and run-off areas while, some circuits were shortened to reduce
1598-427: The running of the 100 Miles Road Race , an event which has since become known as the first Australian Grand Prix . It utilised a high speed rectangle of local closed-off public roads with four similar right hand corners. The course length varied, with the car course approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) per lap, compared to the motorcycle circuit which was approximately 10 mi (16 km) in length. The circuit
1645-415: The sport spread across the globe with Grand Prix road races having been held on six continents. Other variations of road racing include; open-wheel racing , sports car racing , touring car racing , stock car racing , superbike racing , truck racing , kart racing and endurance racing . The first organized automobile race was held on July 22, 1894, from Paris to Rouen , France. The first held in
1692-403: The track is known for its steep grades – the highest 57 metres – which caused cost overruns and delays in track opening. The new track was opened in 1952 and in 1960 the first Armstrong 500 production car race was held at the circuit. Extensive damage resulted from the running of the 1962 Armstrong 500 , and, with the circuit owners unable to finance repairs, the circuit was closed and the race
1739-422: The victory by 15-time world champion Giacomo Agostini . The dangers associated with the increasing speeds at road races were highlighted by the 1955 Le Mans disaster . With spectators seated near the edges of the circuit, two race cars came into contact causing one of the vehicles to crash into the embankment, where it exploded in a ball of flames and then plowed through the crowd of spectators. In addition to
1786-696: The years. Notable exceptions are the Mille Miglia which was allowed to continue until 1957 and, the Pau Grand Prix which has been held on the city streets of Pau, France since 1933. After the First World War, automobile and motorcycle road racing competitions in Europe and in North America went in different directions. Automobile and motorcycle racing in the United States was typically oval track racing on paved tracks such as
1833-430: Was killed while competing in the 1972 Isle of Man TT , it sparked a rider's boycott of the event led by multi-time world champion, Giacomo Agostini , a close friend of Parlotti. Once the most prestigious race of the year, the event was increasingly boycotted by the top riders, and in 1976, the Isle of Man TT finally succumbed to pressure for increased safety in racing events and had its world championship status revoked by
1880-505: Was later reinstated for 2012 . Since then, Phillip Island has returned to hosting a sprint round of the championship, which has become known as the Phillip Island Super Sprint . The Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix has always been more of a promoter event than a profit-raiser in itself. The contract was prolonged until 2026, although tobacco advertising has been banned since 2007. In the early 1990s, Phillip Island
1927-827: Was moved to the Mount Panorama Circuit at Bathurst in New South Wales , to eventually become known as the Bathurst 1000 . The circuit reopened in October 1967 and hosted the Phillip Island 500 endurance race, a round of the Australian Manufacturers' Championship , from 1971 to 1977. The race was also a round of the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1976 and 1977. But again, due to its testing terrain,
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1974-761: Was refurbished with a reduced length of 4.448 km (2.764 mi) and was reopened on 4 December 1988 for the final round of the 1988 Swann Insurance International Series for motorcycles. In 1989, the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix joined the FIM Road Racing World Championship calendar for the first time, and was held at Phillip Island. The 1989 race saw a race long dice in the 500 cc division between local favourites Wayne Gardner and Kevin Magee , along with Wayne Rainey and Christian Sarron . The race
2021-547: Was renamed the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile in 1946 and, plans were developed for a road racing world championship. In 1950 , the FIA created the Formula One world championship, a competition of seven rounds that included the Indianapolis 500. A Formula I manufacturers' championship was begun in 1955. The success of American racers such as Phil Hill and Dan Gurney in Formula One in
2068-402: Was the first permanent park circuit in the United Kingdom and held its first motorcycle race in 1931. As automobile and motorcycle technology improved, racers began to achieve higher speeds that caused an increasing number of accidents on roads not designed for motorized vehicles. Public safety concerns ultimately caused the number of road racing events on public roads in Europe to decrease over
2115-581: Was the venue for the Australian Grand Prix through to 1935 and it was used for the last time on 6 May 1935 for the Jubilee Day Races. A new 3.312 mi (5.330 km) triangular circuit utilising the pit straight from the original rectangular course was subsequently mapped out and first used for the Australian Race Drivers' Cup on 5 November 1935. The final car event on the circuit was held on Cup Day (1 November) 1938 and
2162-423: Was used during the Australian summer for pre-season testing by various World Sportscar Championship teams and some Japanese Formula 3000 teams (who generally found travelling to Australia was actually cheaper than paying some $ 5,000 per hour to hire the Honda owned Suzuka Circuit in Japan). While no official lap times were published, television commentator and race driver Neil Crompton reported in 1990 that
2209-465: Was won by 1987 World Champion Gardner to the delight of the huge crowd. Gardner would make it two in a row at the Island in 1990 before the race moved to Eastern Creek in Sydney for 1991 . The Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix would remain at Eastern Creek until it returned permanently to Phillip Island from 1997 onwards. Phillip Island hosted its first Superbike World Championship round in 1990 , taking over from Sydney's Oran Park Raceway as
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