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Wanneroo Raceway, currently known as CARCO.com.au Raceway for
naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...
reasons, is a motorsport circuit located in Neerabup, approximately north of
Perth Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...
in
Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...
. It was built by the WA Sporting Car Club. The circuit was originally known as Wanneroo Park and the first race meet took place in March 1969. Initially the major race per year was a 6-hour
Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le ...
style race for sedans and
sports cars A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
known as the Six Hour Le Mans. However, as interest dulled in that event, production car racing took over as the major race type. In
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
, the
Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event which is under contract to host Formula One until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different venu ...
was held for the first and so far only time at Wanneroo Raceway which coincided with the opening of the new pits and paddock area to the west of the circuit. The Grand Prix was won by
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
n
Johnnie Walker Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky now owned by Diageo that originated in the Scottish burgh of Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire. The brand was first established by grocer John Walker. It is the most widely distributed brand of blended Sco ...
driving a Lola T332
Formula 5000 Formula 5000 (or F5000) was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars tha ...
. Walker was the last driver to win the AGP driving a Formula 5000. In 1992, it was decided that a short circuit would be constructed by linking Turn 5 on the current circuit to the back straight forming a new circuit. This extension was funded by prominent West Australian motorsport identity Alf Barbagallo and hence the circuit name was changed to Barbagallo Raceway. The short circuit allowed for an increase in the types of racing including the inclusion of
truck racing Truck racing is a form of motorsport road racing which involves modified versions of heavy tractor units on road racing or oval track circuits. History The sport started in the United States at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 17, 1979 and w ...
and also allowed events to be run at night. The circuit was completely resurfaced in 2004 and this saw almost all lap records broken in the first few months of 2004. Due to the sandy nature of the area the circuit slowly became more and more abrasive over time and was considered one of the toughest on tyres in the country. The circuit was resurfaced again in early 2019. The circuit was renamed Wanneroo Raceway in 2020, however its name was changed as CARCO.com.au Raceway from August 2022 to November 2025.


Events

The track holds a number of major race meets each year, with the biggest being a round of the Supercars Championship called the Perth SuperSprint. This is one of the biggest sporting events in
Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...
each year with over 50,000 people attending the 3-day event. The circuit offers patrons drift racing as an occasional spectacle. Some criticism has also come from opponents of drifting, due to damage caused to the track surface, especially heading into Cat Corner at the end of the main straight, where entries of over are not uncommon. The circuit hosted the inaugural Australian Festival of Speed in 2010.
Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship ...
team
Red Bull Racing Red Bull Racing, also simply known as Red Bull or RBR and currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing, is a Formula One racing team, racing under an Austrian licence and based in the United Kingdom. It is one of two Formula One teams owned ...
and driver Mark Webber attended for a demonstration. The festival never returned to the circuit, having bankrupted the owners. The circuit also hosts a number of motorcycle racing and training events, including the WA State Championships for Superbikes, Supersport and Sidecars – along with a number of support classes.


Upgrades

Due to the removal of the circuit from the V8 Supercar calendar for 2010 season, the state government considered upgrading the track to improve the quality of the track and its facilities. Many options were considered, which included extending the track to the north which would roughly double the length of the circuit, there were also alternative extension plans which were smaller. The widening of the track was also addressed, which would be needed to extend the track for safety regulations. The plan of the track extension was expensive if all aspects of the plan were considered, this would see this major upgrade of the circuit be postponed until the necessary upgrades are completed. On 18 July 2011, the track's control tower was torn down, beginning the first stage of upgrades that saw the track widened, and a new pit facility built in the centre of the circuit, with connecting bridge. Improved lighting and safety barriers, as well as upgrades to facilities and buildings within the circuit formed part of the project. Following a number of deaths Motorcycle Racing was banned from Wanneroo Raceway in November 2016 until a number of safety upgrades could be implemented. In June 2016 the WA government released the "Wanneroo Safety Enhancement Options Identification Assessment", also known as the Hall Report, recommending changes to the circuit to allow motorbike racing to return. These upgrades included the addition of a "Bus Stop" Style turn at turn 3, a barrier wall through the infield area between turns 4 and the back straight and some other minor improvements, and were added to the circuit in January 2017. The track was relicenced by Motorcycling Australia in March 2019, allowing racing to return.


Touring Car round winners

Wanneroo Raceway has held rounds of the
Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the Repco Supercars Championship awarded the trop ...
since 1973. The circuit was left off the calendar from 1974 to 1977 and again in 2010.
Craig Lowndes Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing driver in the Repco Supercars Championship competing in the Holden ZB Commodore for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator. Lowndes is a three-time V8 Su ...
has won the most ATCC / V8 Supercars rounds at the circuit with six wins. The most successful touring car team at Wanneroo is the
Dick Johnson Racing Dick Johnson Racing (formerly DJR Team Penske), is Australia's oldest motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. The team currently fields the #11 and #17 Ford Mustang GTs for Anton de Pasquale and Will Davison respectiv ...
with seven wins. The first ATCC race held at the circuit in
1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
was won by Allan Moffat driving a Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III for the Ford Works Team.


Lap records

As of May 2022, the official race lap records at Wanneroo Raceway are listed as:


Oral history

* John Hurney * Patsie McCrakan


Notes


References


External links


CARCO.com.au Raceway
{{Stadium Super Trucks tracks Motorsport venues in Western Australia Supercars Championship circuits Australian Grand Prix Neerabup, Western Australia Sports venues completed in 1969 1969 establishments in Australia