South Pacific Touring Car Championship

The South Pacific Touring Car Championship was a motorsport championship staged in Australia and New Zealand for Group A touring cars between October and December in 1986. The championship was won by Australian driver Allan Grice.

Not to be confused with South Pacific Touring Series.
South Pacific Touring Car Championship
CategoryTouring car racing
CountryAustralia Australia
New Zealand New Zealand
Inaugural season1986
Folded1987
Last Drivers' championAllan Grice
Last Makes' championBMW
Last Teams' championNA

The series received little support from the top teams, especially the Australians other than for the first two rounds held in Australia, while all bar a couple of the New Zealand teams only contested NZ races. Once the series went to New Zealand, Grice and Charlie O'Brien were in fact the only Australian drivers to support the series while those such as Peter Jackson Nissan, JPS Team BMW and the Mobil Holden Dealer Team completely ignored the NZ races.

The series was reportedly set to continue in 1987, however after the first race in Adelaide, interest flagged as the Australian teams were not interested in going to New Zealand after a long season which included the 1987 World Touring Car Championship rounds at Bathurst, Calder and Wellington and the series was cancelled.

Champions
Year Driver Team Car
1986 Australia Allan Grice Roadways Racing
Team Nissan Racing NZ		 Holden VK Commodore SS Group A
Nissan Skyline DR30 RS
1987 Australia Dick Johnson Shell Ultra Hi-Tech Racing Team Ford Sierra RS500

1986 race calendar

The 1986 South Pacific Touring Car Championship was contested over a five-round series with two races in Australia and three races in New Zealand.

Round 1 of the series also doubled as Round 5 of the 1986 Australian Endurance Championship, while Round 2 in Adelaide also doubled as the Group A support race at the 1986 Australian Formula One Grand Prix.

Rd. Race Title Circuit City Date Winner Car Team Report
1 The Sun South Pacific 300 Calder Park Raceway Melbourne 19 October Australia George Fury
Australia Glenn Seton		 Nissan Skyline DR30 RS Peter Jackson Nissan Racing [1]
2 South Australia Cup Adelaide Street Circuit Adelaide 25 October Australia Allan Grice Holden VK Commodore SS Group A Roadways Racing [2]
3 Manfeild SPTCC Manfeild Autocourse Palmerston North 30 November New Zealand Graeme Crosby
New Zealand Wayne Wilkinson		 Holden VK Commodore SS Group A Bob Jane T-Marts [3]
4 Baypark SPTCC Baypark Raceway Mount Maunganui 7 December Australia Allan Grice
New Zealand Kent Baigent		 Nissan Skyline DR30 RS Team Nissan Racing NZ [4]
5 Pukekohe SPTCC Pukekohe Park Raceway Pukekohe 14 December Australia Charlie O'Brien
New Zealand Glenn McIntyre		 BMW 635 CSi State Coal BMW [5]

Championship results
Position Driver Team Car Points
1 Australia Allan Grice Roadways Racing
Team Nissan Racing NZ		 Holden VK Commodore SS Group A
Nissan Skyline DR30 RS		 81
2 New Zealand Trevor Crowe Archibalds BMW 635 CSi 73
3 New Zealand Graeme Crosby Bob Jane T-Marts Holden VK Commodore SS Group A 67
4 Australia Charlie O'Brien Bob Jane T-Marts
State Coal BMW		 BMW 635 CSi 66
New Zealand Glenn McIntyre State Coal BMW BMW 635 CSi 66
6 Australia George Fury Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Nissan Skyline DR30 RS 57
7 New Zealand Ed Lamont Lamont Racing/Can-Am Construction BMW 325i 55
8 Australia Glenn Seton Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Nissan Skyline DR30 RS 47
9 New Zealand Robbie Ker Ford Mustang GT 45
New Zealand Wayne Huxford Ford Mustang GT 45
11 New Zealand Wayne Wilkinson Bob Jane T-Marts Holden VK Commodore SS Group A 43
New Zealand Graham Lorimer BMW 635 CSi 43
New Zealand Tony Lawrence BMW 635 CSi 43
14 Australia Larry Perkins Enzed Team Perkins Holden VK Commodore SS Group A 40
15 Australia John Harvey Mobil Holden Dealer Team Holden VK Commodore SS Group A 34
16 New Zealand Denny Hulme Bob Jane T-Marts
Rocket Cargo/Bill Bryce		 Mercedes-Benz 190E
BMW 325i		 32
New Zealand Dave Barrow Toyota Team New Zealand Toyota Corolla FX-GT AE82 32
18 New Zealand Kent Baigent Team Nissan Racing NZ Nissan Skyline DR30 RS 30

See also

References
  1. 1986 AEC Round 5 Calder Park
  2. 1986 AGP Adelaide Group A Support Race
  3. 1986 Manfield 400 at History of Touring Car Racing
  4. 1986 Baypark 3 Hours at History of Touring Car Racing
  5. 1986 Pukekohe 150 at History of Touring Car Racing
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