Queensland Raceway

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Queensland Raceway

Location	Willowbank, Ipswich, Queensland
Time zone	UTC+10:00
Coordinates	27°41′25″S 152°39′9″E / 27.69028°S 152.65250°E / -27.69028; 152.65250Coordinates: 27°41′25″S 152°39′9″E / 27.69028°S 152.65250°E / -27.69028; 152.65250
FIA Grade	3
Owner	Tony Quinn
Opened	1999
Major events	V8 Supercar
National Circuit (1999-present)
Length	3.126 km (1.95 mi)
Turns	6
Race lap record	1:04.0661 (Simon Wills, Reynard 94D, 1999, Formula Holden)

Queensland Raceway nicknamed "the paperclip" is a motor racing circuit located at Willowbank in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. The circuit did host Supercars Championship until 2019, drifting as well as club level racing and ride days.

Turn 1 and Dick Johnson Straight

Queensland Raceway is 3.126 km (1.942 mi) long and 12 m (39 ft) wide, running clockwise. There are six corners. The circuit was designed by Tony Slattery with input from car and motorcycle racing authorities including CAMS circuit expert Professor Rod Troutbeck.

Queensland Raceway is a FIA Grade 3 circuit.^[1] However, the track uses RACERS sanctioning for a majority of its events including race meetings, drifting, motorbike ride days and roll racing.

Spectator viewing at the facility is excellent with the flat layout of the circuit and spectator mounds. However the flat layout makes racing less exciting for the competitors than undulating circuits like Phillip Island. The track became infamous for its bumps, although it was resurfaced in late 2011.

Queensland Raceway is located with the bounds of the Ipswich Motorsport Precinct, which is also home to the Willowbank Raceway dragstrip, a kart track, a short dirt circuit and a junior (under-16) motorcycle speedway. The track is also located near RAAF Base Amberley and shares the base's 6 km (3.7 mi) noise exclusion zone.

Configurations[]

There are three Short Circuit variations of the track in addition to the full circuit:

• Sportsman 2.150 km (1.336 mi)
• Clubman 2.110 km (1.311 mi)
• Sprint 1.890 km (1.174 mi)

• 

  “Clubman Circuit”

• 

  “National Circuit”

• 

  “Sportsman Circuit”

• 

  “Sprint Circuit”

The National circuit gets the most use for testing purposes and for major motorsport events. The Clubman circuit is also utilised regularly at state and club level racing. The Sprint circuit also in semi-regular use. The Sportsman circuit, originally optimised for truck racing, is now rarely used.

Dick Johnson Straight[]

Dick Johnson was honoured on 16 August 2001, when the front straight of the Queensland Raceway was officially named "Dick Johnson Straight".

Johnson, a five-time national champion and three-time Bathurst winner, proudly unveiled a piece of pit-lane wall, which now bears his name and a plaque commemorating the ceremony and Johnson's motor racing achievements. The unveiling was part of the pre-race build-up to the 2001 VIP Petfoods Queensland 500. Johnson was joined by his son Steve during the ceremony as well as a host of V8 Supercar drivers and teams during what was a serious day of testing at the circuit.

Johnson was one of the driving forces behind the development of the Queensland Raceway and made his last competitive drive in a V8 Supercar in 2000's Queensland 500 with son Steve.

Lap records[]

As of September 2018.^[2]

Class	Driver	Vehicle	Time	Date
Outright
Formula Holden	Simon Wills	Reynard 94D Holden	1:04.0661	11 July 1999
Racing Cars
Formula Holden	Simon Wills	Reynard 94D Holden	1:04.0661	11 July 1999
Formula 3	Tim Macrow	Dallara F307 Mercedes-Benz	1:04.4146	4 August 2013
Formula 4	Thomas Randle	Mygale F4 Ford	1:11.7807	2 August 2015
Formula Ford	Nick Rowe	Mygale SJ13	1:13.8758	10 August 2014
Formula Ford 1600	Stewart McColl	Van Diemen RF98	1:15.8823	2 July 2000
Sports Cars
Australian GT Championship	Tony Quinn	Aston Martin Vantage GT3	1:09.4609	4 August 2013
Nations Cup	John Bowe	Ferrari 360 N-GT	1:11.0638	15 June 2003
Porsche Carrera Cup	Craig Baird	Porsche 911 GT3 Cup	1:11.8524	20 July 2008
Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge	Ryan Simpson	Porsche 911 GT3 Cup	1:10.9903	9 August 2015
Aussie Racing Cars	Joel Heinrich	Nissan Altima-Yamaha	1:20.2297	22 July 2018
Touring Cars
Sports Sedans	Thomas Randle	Saab 9-3	1:07.3284	29 July 2018
Supercars Championship	James Courtney	Holden ZB Commodore	1:09.6591	21 July 2018
Super2 Series	Dale Wood	Ford FG Falcon	1:10.0451	27 July 2013
Touring Car Masters	John Bowe	Holden Torana SL/R 5000	1:16.3951	30 July 2017
Production Touring Cars	Glenn Seton	Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X	1:18.1908	3 August 2013
V8 Ute Racing Series	Mason Barbera	Ford FG Falcon Ute	1:23.3265	29 July 2017
SuperUtes	Ryal Harris	Mazda BT-50	1:30.4346	22 July 2018
Motorcycles
Australian Superbikes	Glenn Allerton	BMW HP4	1:08.531	16 June 2013
Prostock	Linden Magee	BMW S1000RR	1:09.995	16 September 2012
	Jamie Stauffer	Yamaha YZF-R6	1:11.212	13 July 2008
125cc GP	Josh Brookes		1:16.983	4 June 2000

Future development[]

A huge accident on 1 May 2010 in a Mini Challenge support race to the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series sparked discussion about the safety of the circuit. However, circuit owner at the time, John Tetley insisted that the track was still safe. TeamVodafone driver Craig Lowndes suggested that Queensland Raceway was long overdue for upgrades including a resurfacing. Tetley stated that resurfacing would be done in late 2010,^[3] although major flooding in the south-east Queensland region early in 2011, and the subsequent lack of availability of necessary equipment as devastated roads are repaired has seen that resurfacing delayed for twelve months. In October 2011 the resurfacing was commenced and completed before Christmas.^[4]

During July 2016, the Ipswich council announced plans to invest $220 million upgrading Queensland Raceway. The first phase of the project is to extend the length of current circuit.^[5] The proposed plans by the council were never followed through with after massive upheaval and controversy.^[6] The company responsible (Ipswich Motorsport Park PTY LTD) for the redevelopment was wound up in 2017 and de-registered.

In October 2021 former owner John Tetley and businessman, motorsport competitor and multi-track owner Tony Quinn signed a pact under which the Quinn took the lease, management and operations of Queensland Raceway.^[7]

Willowbank 300[]

The Willowbank 300 is held annually at Queensland Raceway as part of the Queensland Endurance Championship.

The Endurance Championship consists of the Ipswich event and the Lakeside Park 300 which is traditionally held in the latter part of the year at the historic circuit north of Brisbane. The Willowbank 300 has been a landmark event on the Queensland Raceway calendar since 2014.

Fatalities at the circuit[]

There have been four fatalities at the venue since it opened in 1999. Porsche Supercup driver Sean Edwards in 2013 during testing, as well as club-racer Dennis Smith at a sprint event in 2016. Two further deaths occurred when a 32-year-old driver and 41-year-old passenger were killed in August 2017.^[8]

References[]

External links[]

• Queensland Raceway
• Circuit map and history at RacingCircuits.info
• Ride / Race your motorbike at QLD raceway