Surfers Paradise International Raceway Lap Records

[spook]

Can anyone help me out here? I am looking to find the official lap records for this track - not the Indy Track but the road course that operated from 1966-1987 about 5km to the west.

[fordlover]

i cant help you with lap records.

but if anyone has any pics of the track id like to see some please. (i wouldve only been two when it closed down)

[jetsetter]

Unfortnately i don't have any pictures but the track is still one of the best i've been too.

[spook]

I have lots of pictures dating back to the first event, just wait till I get my scanner from Santa.

Did you know that in January 1974, Keith Williams himself set a lap record at SPIR that was never broken in the following 13 years till the track closed. It was in a V8 too.

[Chris - Melb]

Hi Spook,

If you are looking for somewhere to put your old Surfers Paradise pics on the web after you have scanned them then don't forget www.MotorsportArchive.com

There are already a few pics from the old track there, but more would be great.

I have a program from 1973 that would have the track records in it. Let me know if that is any use to you and I will go search for it and scan the details for you.

Chris
www.MotorsportArchive.com
Australian and New Zealand motorsport archive.

[Greg Nye]

Hi Spook,
Somewhere I will have a race program from one of the last events at Surfers but at the moment I'm not sure where I have stored them. I'm also having difficulty remembering how long ago the last meeting was. I would probably get a hugh shock and another reminder of how ancient I'm becoming. There was always a page with the lap records for all the different classes. If It's just the outright record your after I would be very surprised if it's not David Kennedy's 1:04.7 in Wolf WR4 Cosworth DFV on his way to winning round 3 of the Rothmans International Series 18 Feb 1979. He was also on pole 1:03.3! For those who want to see the circuit try http://www.tasman-series.com/tracks/surfers/surfers.asp but don't forget to check out the rest of this interesting and still growing site

[William Dale Jr]

We actually had a thread on this in the Aussie section recently. I'm pretty sure that the outright lap record at the time the track closed (1987) was held John Bowe in the VesKanda-Chev sportscar. I can't remember the actual time, but it was set during the ASCC race there in 1986.

[Greg Nye]

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction William,
You're right. It was actually turns out to be 24 August 1986. John Bowe managed 1:04.3 on the first flying lap of heat one which was 2 tenths better than qualifying. His next best lap for the rest of the day was a 1:05.2 but then he didn’t need to go any faster. The Terry Hook appears to have been next best in Heat One 1:06.1 and Chris Clearihan a 1:07.4 in Heat Two when Bowe’s best was 1:05.6
It still makes seems to leave Kennedy with the best qualifying lap.

[spook]

The last meeting was held in August 1987 if I recall correctly. I am lookng for all the lap records, not jusst the outright, but most interested in the Gemini lap record - why, don't ask it' a long story that I can't relate just yet!

Are there any old Gemini racers out there that remember who held the lap record at Surfers and with what time.

BTW for overseas posters - that's "Holden Isuzu Gemini" circa 1979/80