The Official Website For The Tasman Sydney Motor Sport Park

Tasman Revival

Let’s Go Racing! Saturday at the Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival

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All historics, all racing, all day. Saturday at the 2010 Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival was a scorcher, and it had nothing to do with the weather. Each class hit the track twice today, and after two days of practice and qualifying, they are going faster and harder than ever.

Sunday is what we’ve been building up to; look forward to some tooth-and-nail historic racing from every class, a paddock full of timeless historic racing machinery and a friendly group of people to share it all with.

Motorsport Retro has some great shots from the pits and paddock on Friday and Saturday, and we will have a full gallery for you early next week.

See you tomorrow for the 2010 Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival’s biggest, fastest and most amazing day of racing yet!


Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival: Photos from the Pit and Paddock

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MotorsportRetro.com has full photo galleries  from the Pit and Paddock

Click here for photos from Friday

Click here for photos from Saturday


Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival Friday Practice

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The time for practising is over! Qualifications are complete, grids have been formed and racing is under way at the 2010 Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival.

The 2010 Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival was the stage for a fantastic afternoon of racing today, as over 450 entrants made their final preparations, put in their bids for pole position and got down to the business of racing motorcars. Look forward to two more full days of historic racing this Saturday and Sunday as the revival revs into full swing!

And don’t forget to head to the competitors’ paddock to meet the drivers and crews, get a behind the scenes look into their racing preparations and, of course, marvel at the immense collection of historic racing machinery on display.

Tickets can be bought at the gate every day.


Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival Practice Under Way

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Trailers are towed in, unpacked and turned into road warrior garages. Magnificent machines from all over the world and across the gamut of history are rolled down ramps, off trailers and in through the gates.

Bodywork rests beside naked machinery. Wheels wait patiently to be lifted into place and tyres look forward to melting against the tarmac once more.

Checks, double-checks and triple checks are made before thunderous engines are fired up to propel drivers through practice laps as driver and machine reaffirm their bond, finding lines and testing limits.

Thursday’s private practice is well under way, the lights are green and the 2010 Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival is off and running! We look forward to seeing you for qualifying and the start of races tomorrow!

Tickets will be sold at the gate from tomorrow. The weather is fantastic, so remember to bring sun protection and plenty of water!


The Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival 2010 Fires Up Its Engines!

Mammoth line-up of international & Australian historic racing cars? Check.

A field of racing drivers ranging from gifted to legendary? Check.

World-class racing circuit? Check.

Huge community of fun-loving, friendly historic racing fans? Check.

The Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival 2010 Opens This Friday, 26th November!

Months (years) of preparations are complete, and the Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival 2010 is on the grid, engine revving, watching for the lights to turn green.

Starting from tomorrow afternoon, entrants will already be making their way to Eastern Creek International Raceway to get set up for private practice on Thursday, and then qualifications on Friday morning. By Friday afternoon the races will be under way and they won’t stop until Sunday evening!

Sunday in particular is going to be a huge day, offering feature races for all groups, the drawing of our ‘Win a Lotus’ competition, trophy presentations and plenty of paddock-wandering, tyre-smoking social motorsport fun.

Click here to download a programme of events that should help you to plan your weekend.

Buy tickets on the day

Tickets to the Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival 2010 can be purchased at the gate every day during the event, so it’s nice and easy to come along and enjoy some historic racing action!

Children 12 years and under get in for free

Adult prices:

  • Friday Only: $20
  • Saturday Only: $25
  • Sunday Only: $35
  • 2/3 Days: $50

Ticket prices include parking, as well as entrance to grandstand seating and the competitor’s paddock (come say hi!). Lost tickets will not be replaced.

After the event

Don’t forget to come back to the official Tasman Revival website, as well as the HSRCA’s new website, Facebook page and YouTube channel, in the days and weeks following the event, as we will have plenty of coverage to keep you busy until the Tasman Revival 2012! Not to mention a fantastic group of people and a calendar packed with fantastic historic racing events year-round!

Some links to help prepare you for the Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival 2010:

We have uploaded a series of files containing the entry list for the weekend at the following links:

Click here for a quick and easy PDF, presenting entrants to the Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival 2010

Click here for an Excel [XLS] version of the same file

And here for the final version of the list, also in XLS format

Entrants:

Wednesday access to Eastern Creek International Raceway

Thursday private practice

Media:

Media accreditation

General:

Win a Lotus Elise

Programme of Events


Historic Lotus On Display at Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival

historic lotus display tasman revival

One of the most successful Lotus cars ever to race in Australia will be on display at the Tasman Revival Race Meeting at Eastern Creek Raceway on 26-28 November 2010.

The Lotus Elite S1 originally raced by former Australian champion Leo Geoghegan will be part of a special display commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the first race meeting at the now defunct Warwick Farm circuit.

Imported by Geoghegan in 1960 the nimble fibreglass-bodied racer was immediately a winner, taking victory in that year’s Victorian Grand Tourismo  Championship at Phillip Island and two weeks later winning the Australian GT Championship at Bathurst.

In a 14-month period Geoghegan competed in 26 races, taking outright victory on 18 occasions and scoring class wins (and major outright placings) in another six outings.  The car failed to finish on only one occasion, suffering a gentle rollover after slipping off the Warwick Farm bitumen while chasing the 1961 GT title.

The Climax-engined car was sold in late 1961 to Brian Foley, who continued the car’s success with a multitude of class wins.

In early 1963 the car was retired from competition and was used regularly on the road.  After undergoing a full restoration more than a decade ago, the car was acquired by the present owner who is proud to display a significant part of local motor sport history.

Among the 400 cars competing at the meeting will be 22 examples of the Lotus marque, the most famous being the Lotus 49/R8 to be driven by John Smith.  This car was driven by Graham Hill for Gold Leaf-Team Lotus in the 1969 Tasman Series and is more recently remembered as the winner of the inaugural Tasman Revival race in 2006, when Smith and second-placed Spencer Martin thrilled spectators with a torrid racelong dice.

Peter Schell


Tasman Revival Media Accreditation

Photographers intending to have access to the track during the Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival 2010 will need to send in an accreditation form prior to the event.

Please click this link to download the form directly

Or this link to find the form on our Media page

Email the completed form to members@hsrca.org.au, fax it to 02-9988 4277, or post to PO Box 5063, Turramurra South 2074.


Lotus Sydney 2010 Tasman Revival 2010 TVC

It’s time to pack your picnic baskets, free up some space on your cameras and pick out a fresh set of semi-slicks, because the Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival, November 26-28, is now only 11 days away!

Hit play on the video at the top of this post, or click this link, to check out the television commercial that’s broadcasting in preparation for the event.

And don’t forget to head to our Win page, as time is running out to pick up a ticket to get in the running to win a Lotus Elise!

Looking forward to seeing you all there!


Tasman Wednesday Access

Wednesday access to track: Please note that another organisation has booked Eastern Creek for Wednesday, Nov 24. For that reason we do not have unrestricted access, but have arranged for the following two concessions:

  1. You may park your car and trailer off outside of the tunnel (grassed area where trailers are parked) any time on Wednesday. Security will be provided.
  2. From 5:00pm to 9:00pm you may unload and set-up.

Special arrangements for the overseas cars are being organised.


1972 EBS Porsche Spyder set to debut at Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival

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The EBS Porsche Spyder was built in 1972 as a one-off by the engineers at the Porsche Weissach works for the Interserie-European Can Am series (Under 3 litre small block division). Several engineers were asked to build an off-budget, “skunk-works” car using “spare” items from the works and is not recognised as an official Porsche model. Eberhard Braun designed and built the car which has a remarkable resemblance to the 917/10 series, just on a smaller scale. There is speculation that the car was completed or rebuilt in 1976 by prominent sports car makers URD who built it as a Group 6 Prototype sports car and gave it the serial number URD 676 #005. It is built on a tube frame chassis, has a fibreglass body, weighs around 700kg and is powered by a genuine factory 2.8RSR engine coupled to a Hewland FG400 5 speed gearbox.

The car was raced by prominent European racer Max Moritz and driven by Hubert Schmidt at the famous Nurburgring in 1976 as well as Zolder, Salzburgring and Hockenheim. It was then sold in 1980 and went to the US where it raced in Historic Can Am races, SCCA, SVRA and HSR meetings. It was owned by a few other Americans until an Australian, Warwick Miller purchased it and bought it back to Australia where he began a partial restoration.

In 2008 it was purchased by Terry Lawlor who has since completed a more extensive restoration and rebuild. It is anticipated that its first event in Australia will be the Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival at Eastern Creek,  November 26-28, 2010.

Terry won the HSRCA Group Sc Championship in 2008 and was runner up in 2007 and 2009 in a Porsche 911. Terry will campaign the EBS Porsche Spyder in HSRCA Group Q in 2011.

Images: Terry Lawlor and John Shingleton

Via: MotorsportRetro.com


Tasman Revival Provisional Entry List

The Lotus Sydney 2010 Tasman Revival continues to ramp up to fever pitch and, to hold you over for another month, we have a little teaser of the cars and drivers that you will find on the track at Eastern Creek this 26th to 28th of November.

This list is anything but final, but already it is packed with beautiful, rare, fast and historic cars and some very tidy steerers that are going to make the weekend a memorable one. Click here to download the entry list to date for the Lotus Sydney 2010 Tasman Revival.

Lotus Sydney 2010 Tasman Revival Provisional Entry List

And, speaking of classics, don’t forget to head to our ‘Win’ page to enter our Win a Lotus Elise competition and secure your chance to own the modern trackday classic.


Tasman Revival Thursday Private Practice Session

The Lotus Sydney 2010 Tasman Revival is just five weeks away and is shaping up to be a really special event. If you are attending the event and are planning on participating in the private practice session on Thursday the 25th of November, it is a good idea to book in early. Booking in early will save you some time on the day and make getting set up that much easier.

If you want to book in early, please download this form and send it back to the ARDC (not the HSRCA). Payment can be made via both credit card and direct bank deposit.

Lotus Sydney 2010 Tasman Revival Private Practice Form


Win a Lotus Elise tickets Going Fast!

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The HSRCA was out in force at Sydney’s Concours d’Elegance Australia this weekend, and took a few examples from the Tasman Revival’s stellar line-up, as well as a beautiful example of the Lotus Elise we are giving away, along for the ride.

The cars looked stunning as they basked in the sunshine at Manly, and did a great job getting people excited for the Lotus Sydney 2010 Tasman Revival. I’m really looking forward to seeing and hearing them out on the track! Bring on the roar of engines, the smell of petrol and hardworking brakes, clutches and tyres and the excitement of historic cars racing on the raggedy edge.

Getting people pumped for the Tasman Revival wasn’t all the cars did. Tickets to our Win a Lotus Elise competition were on sale and going fast and we now have only 588 left.

Chances to win one of the next generation of trackday classics are running out faster than Avgas on raceday, so head to our Win page to buy your ticket now!

Only 588 tickets to win a Lotus Elise are left and they are going fast, click here to buy one today!


Huge international line up set for Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival 2010

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A mammoth International contingent is again what the Tasman Revival has that no other Historic event in Australia can match. As at the time of writing there are 45 overseas entries confirmed including a swag of cars from our 1960s era. Once again Graham Adelman will be bringing both his Ferrari 246T and the most gorgeous sounding car ever, the BRM P126.

Thinking forward, the 3rd running of the Tasman Revival will see some great competition at the front of the field. From the entries so far it looks like the winner may be any of four makes of car, Lotus, Brabham, Ferrari, or BRM, and maybe there is a dark horse in there as well.

Firstly we will have the 2006 winner, John Smith in the Dawson-Damer family’s Lotus 49. Then the 2008 winner, Rob Hall in Graham Adelman’s Ferrari 246T Dino. Add to that equation the car Sir Jack Brabham drove to many victories in 1967 to come  2nd behind team- mate Denny Hulme, the Brabham BT24 of Brian Wilson. (more…)


Win a Lotus Elise draw moved to 28th November

The draw for our Win a Lotus Elise competition has been moved back one day and will now take place on Sunday the 28th of November at 4PM to allow for greater crowd participation.

Please head to our Win page for more details, or click here.

Information about the Pit Straight Car Club Picnic Day and the associated registration and booking form is now online as well, just head to our corporate hospitality page here, or grab the documents below.

PIT STRAIGHT CAR CLUB PICNIC DAY

Club cars with a PIT STRAIGHT CAR CLUB sticker on windscreen will be permitted to park track side on the spectator mound on pit straight in their exclusive club area. Please note BBQs are not permitted at Eastern Creek Raceway.

All orders must be placed by the 5th of November 2010

Club Picnic Day Registration and Booking Form [PDF]

Club Picnic Day Fact Sheet [DOC]


Sir Jack Brabham – Patron of the Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival 2010

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Sir Jack Brabham has accepted the HSRCA’s invitation to be the Patron of our biggest and most important race meeting.  Sir Jack was invited some time ago but his health has not been good and he asked for time to consider our request.  We are delighted that he can make it and appreciate the personal effort that his visit will require.

Sir Jack and Lady Brabham will arrive in Sydney early on the morning of Sunday 28th November and spend the day at Eastern Creek.

Everything that can be written about Sir Jack Brabham has appeared in print many times, but in the context of the Tasman era it is worth reiterating that he won three F1 World Drivers’ Championships (1959, 1960 and 1966) and is the only man to have won the World Championship in a car bearing his name.  That is a record likely stand for all time.

In 1959 he became the first man to win the World Championship in a rear-engined car and no one has ever won in a front-engined car since.  The only drivers to have won more World Championships than Jack are Fangio, Prost and Schumacher.  (There have 31 Champions over 50 years – Sir Jack is the oldest surviving World Champion).  He also introduced European-style formula cars to Indianapolis and this, more than anything, spelled the end of the outdated Indy roadster.  He paved the way for future Indy winners including Jim Clark and Graham Hill in similar cars.

There is no way one can compare drivers from different eras as the sport/business has changed so much.  However, one clear difference is that F1 drivers in the 1960s drove just about anything with four wheels and Jack was successful in Formula 2, sports cars and sedans.  At his unforgettable 70th birthday party put on by the HSRCA at the (then ANA Hotel in Sydney) when asked how cars had changed, Jack said, “In my day we had to steer, accelerate, brake AND change gears!’

One of the most popular features of the Tasman Revival is the attendance of the men we call the Legends – the drivers from the period we celebrate.  What a wonderful opportunity to see them all together again, this time with our World Champion amongst them.  Don’t miss it!


Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival 2010 Accomodation Packages

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Odyssey Travel are offering fabulous packages to the Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival 2010.

Program Includes:

  • Return transfers from Sydney airport to Eastern Creek.
  • 3 night’s hotel accommodation in en-suite share twin rooms.
  • Breakfast daily.
  • 3 day pass to the Tasman Revival meeting.

Program excludes:

  • Travel to and from Sydney.
  • Please contact your Educational Travel Adviser for assistance.
  • Meals other than breakfast.
  • Items of personal nature i.e. laundry, telephone calls

Accommodation
The Chifley Eastern Creek is set on 1.1 hectares at Eastern Creek Raceway and is ideally located just 2km to the junction of the M4 and M7 motorways allowing for easy access to Homebush, Sydney Olympic Park and all areas of Sydney.

The 4½ self rated hotel offers 104 stylishly appointed trackside and courtyard guest rooms and suites. Chifley Eastern Creek also boasts three conference and function rooms catering for up to 200 delegates.

Coldwater Creek tavern is now open and provides the perfect venue for a casual or business lunch or dinner, or to relax with colleagues and friends for pre or post dinner drinks. The hotel also offers complimentary onsite parking, business centre, indoor lap pool and gymnasium.

If you enjoy car racing, this hotel is ideally located only minutes from one of the country’s premier motor sport facilities.

Call Odyssey Travel on 1300 888 225

For more information or to request a booking click here


Classic Car Club Picnic: Entry forms now online

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Show cars with CAR CLUB sticker on windscreen will be permitted to park track side on the spectator mound on pit straight in their exclusive club area. Driver and passengers pay at gate as per spectator fee.

Adults – $20 (includes admission to competitor paddock & grandstand)
Children 12 & under FOC

Download your entry and information forms here


Matich SR4: Winner of 1969 Australian Sports Car Championship driven by Frank Matich

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Few Australian made racing cars have the credentials of the SR4.

Its racing history speaks for itself; 19 starts, 19 pole positions, 15 wins, 8 lap records and only one defeat (second due to throttle spring problem requiring a stop). A car that was faster than the Formula One cars of the era, driven by one of Australia’s best ever drivers.

Built in Sydney by Henry Nehrybecki for Frank Matich to take to the 1968 CanAm series, it raced only in Australia, unlike its equally famous sister car, SR3. It totally dominated the class and lead to coining of the phrase “doing a Matich” (i.e. to take pole, to win, take the fastest lap and also the lap record).

The frame is made from tubular steel and weighs only 81 pounds (35 kg), extremely light considering the power of the engine, which was 550 BHP as raced. The gearbox is a Hewland LG500 with 4 forward gears and reverse. The gearbox is the only major item not made in Australia since the uprights, wheels, brakes and even the steering rack were locally produced. The body is made from fiberglass though the original intention was for this to be aluminium.

The engine was a 760 series 5 litre Repco Brabham quad cam racing engine developing around 550 BHP. (Shorter block 3 litre 860 series engines were used for Jack Brabham and Denny Hulme’s Repco Brabhams in 1968).

The SR4 was retired from racing at the end 1969 since there was little else to be achieved for it in Australia. Also a year had slipped by making a later foray into CanAm series futile. In any case Frank Matich had his eyes on the emerging F5000 series.

The car was cosmetically restored by Don Halpin while still owned by Repco during the eighties and was for many years displayed at the Birdwood and then the Launceston auto museums. It was never possible to undertake a full and running restoration since the engine in it was very much incomplete. Acquisition of a complete and running engine from Les Wright some years ago made the full restoration feasible and this was carried out by Jim Hardman. The engine in the car is actually an ex Jack Brabham Indy engine of 4.2 litres, though of the same external appearance as the 5 litre version originally fitted. Naturally this has been set up to operate on petrol as opposed to methanol as per Indy. A 5 litre engine is now in preparation.

Nigel Tait, managed the restoration and movements of the SR4 over the last years of Repco’s ownership and subsequently during ACL’s ownership, and purchased it from ACL in July 2005.

In 2006 a full chassis restoration was undertaken since it was 38 years since it was constructed. It is a testament to Henry Nehrybecki’s workmanship that it was found to be in excellent condition with only minor repairs needed and only one tube required replacement to upgrade the seat belt mountings to modern standards. Jim Hardman undertook most of this work including making new aluminium skins and undertray and reassembly.

The car has been taken to a number of circuits for display and demonstration and has been driven by John Bowe and Brian Sampson and as well as by Nigel Tait and Jim Hardman at various events. Due to its historical importance and the scarcity of critical engine components for the quad cam engine (which may well be the only one still running) there are no plans for the car to revert to all out racing.


Win a Lotus Elise for $50

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This is your chance to win a fabulous Lotus Elise valued at $45 000.

Refurbished by Lotus Australia, this 2004 Elise is one of the ex Trophy Race cars and will be registered and insured for the winner.

Just 1250 tickets will be sold in aid of the Historic Sports and Racing Car Association.

Tickets can be purchased by cheque or credit card.

Cheques should be made out to the HSRCA and sent to PO Box 5063, Turramurra South, NSW 2074 with a covering note including your name, address, contact phone number and number of tickets required

Credit card (MasterCard & Visa only) payments can be mailed to the same PO Box or sent via email: members@hsrca.org.au with the same details included

Note that it is essential to provide an address in all transactions.

Click here for full terms and conditions


Ultimate Goodwood Getaway Winner Announced

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Peter Mahony, a regular HSRCA competitor in his Group M Sports Bolwell, was the lucky holder of ticket number 2482 drawn on the 6th July.

Peter has won a trip for two to England to see the famous Goodwood Revival meeting on 17-19 September 2010.

His prize includes

2 Premium economy return tickets to London (ex Sydney)

2 premium grandstand entry passes (3 days)

7 nights accommodation for two (including Breakfast)

7 days car rental

The prize is valued at a whopping $17,000.

Start packing your bags Peter!


Category Focus: Regularity

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The Regularity Category is for Sports, GT & Invited Cars manufactured prior 1970.

Expect to see a smorgasbord of interesting vehicles including Mini’s, Cobra’s, Datsun’s, Alfa’s, Jaguar’s, Holden’s and Ford’s


Ferrari 246T and and BRM P126 confirmed for 2010 Tasman Revival

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Graham Adelman from Virginia USA has also confirmed his intent to make a return visit with both his Ferrari 246T and BRM P126 cars which he brought to the 2008 Tasman Revival meeting. Both cars will be shipped from the UK where they are cared for by Hall and Hall at Bourne.

The Ferrari was driven by Chris Amon to finish second in the 1968 Tasman Series with wins at Levin and in the NZGP at Pukekohe and a very close second to Jim Clark in the AGP at Sandown. After a 40 year absence from Australia it was driven by Rob Hall to win the 2008 Tasman Revival race at Eastern Creek and should be a front runner again this year. The V12 BRM which Graham drove himself in 2008 was driven by both Bruce McLaren and Richard Attwood in 1968 and scored a win at Teretonga in McLaren’s hands.

Via: Ed Holly’s M and O Racing newsletter.

Images: Trent Wallis and Peter Schell


Tasman Revival entry forms now online

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The entry forms for the 2010 Tasman Revival Meeting are now online.

The 2010 event is set to be the biggest and best yet, so get your entries in now.

Entry Forms for both National and International entrants can be found by clicking here.