FEATURE: Shannons Nationals brings up the 100

The Australian Motor Racing Nationals will enjoy a milestone moment this weekend as it ushers in its 100th round at Phillip Island.

The series was formed after turbulent time for national level motorsport in Australia.

In early 2004 PROCAR, founded and run by Queensland businessman Ross Palmer, was quickly shut down, leaving a vacuum in the sport where a second-tier national motor racing series positioned beneath the ‘main game’ Supercars program could run.

While the categories and businessman Peter Boylan stepped up to continue the PROCAR series through the end of the 2004 season, it was clear an alternative was needed.

In 2005 the Australian Motor Racing Series (AMRS) was founded by racing businessmen Garry Wilmington and Rod Dale, however would ultimately only last a season as the CAMS-endorsed program.

The following year saw the CAMS Australian Motor Racing Nationals founded via a partnership between the governing body, key circuit promoters (including Oran Park, the ARDC, Mallala Motorsport Park and Phillip Island) and five core categories.

Experienced promoter and marketer Rob Curkpatrick was signed as the administrator of the series and would ultimately assume a stake in the series prior to CAMS assuming full ownership last year.

The five initial ‘core’ categories invested in the Nationals were Formula 3, Sports Sedans, Production Cars, Commodore Cup and Saloon Cars.

Additional categories including Australian GT, Superkarts, Performance Cars (once known as GTP) and even the V8 Utes formed part of the program.

Last year marked the final season that any ‘founding categories’ remained on the Nationals program, with Formula 3 and Sports Sedans ending their run on the schedule last year.

To mark the occasion series commentator Richard Craill has picked out five memorable moments from the previous 99 rounds.

The first ‘big’ moment of the Shannons Nationals was a crash. 

Dean Randle’s remarkable flip in his Chevrolet-powered SAAB at Phillip Island in May 2006 was the first instance of the Nationals gaining exposure outside of the national-level motorsport scene.

The incredible aerobatics, from which Dean emerged unscathed, have been replayed countless times and have even made ‘classic crash’ videos around the world.

Though we’re still not sure if it’s from the crash itself, or Dean’s helmet-chucking afterwards.

The next big moment was a win. 

Australian Formula 3 hit its straps in the 2007 season with an intensely competitive field fighting it out for the Gold Star, but it was Leanne Tander’s presence who dominated the headlines.

Even 10 years ago, women in motorsport didn’t carry the same public awareness as it does today so Leanne’s performances grabbed plenty of attention – and when she stormed to her first victory at Phillip Island in May that year it generated mainstream press coverage for F3 and the Nationals.

Leanne would ultimately contend for the championship that year (and the next), only for Tim Macrow to edge her by two points in a thrilling finale’ at Oran Park.

Through 99 rounds and more than 1600 races there’s obviously been some great battles. 

However few of them stand out like the longstanding rivalry between Sports Sedan competitors Darren Hossack and Tony Ricciardello.

Any time the pair, one in the stunning bright-red Alfetta GTV and the other in a sinister Audi-Chev, got near each other on track you simply had to sit and watch.

It was the ultimate example of the two fastest drivers on the grid driving the two fastest cars on the grid as hard as they could possibly be driven – and it resulted in some breathtaking racing.

As a testament to their consistent and consistently brilliant performances over the period, both made it into the top five drivers in a top-10 list of all-time great Nationals drivers, presented at the end of the Nationals’ 10^th season in 2015.

One of the best things about the Shannons Nationals has been an ability to innovate. 

The series has always had the flexibility and the backing of the competitors to do something different that can help promote the sport to a new audience.

It started with a regular, two-hour TV package on Speedweek and evolved into the introduction of live streaming in 2010 – some time before regular streaming of local motorsport became a thing.

Then there was the introduction of night racing at Queensland Raceway – which continues to this day via the annual ‘Fight in the Night’. Races remembering or commemorating loved figures from within each series were also a highlight: including Commodore Cup’s Ashley Cooper Memorial and the Clem Smith Cup and Des Wall Trophy in Sports Sedans.

‘Marquee’ events have also been introduced at Nationals rounds – including the above mentioned night-race for Production Cars in Queensland, the Porsche Carrera Cup ProAm and GT3 Cup Challenge Jim Richards enduro trophy races, or the Australian GT Phillip Island 101 – now 500 – being held this weekend.

Thinking outside the box and bringing national-level racing to places like Morgan Park, for example, have also been a highlight.

There’s been challenges along the road. 

Whether it’s categories like Commodore Cup or the Suzuki Swift series folding or circuits – like Oran Park – closing, the road hasn’t always been smooth.

And then there was Sydney Motorsport Park 2014, when the series was plunged into a firestorm of publicity, literally, when teenager Brock Giblin had an enormous crash and was badly burned during practice.

The way the Nationals family worked together to get though what most would suggest is the most difficult day in the series history was testament to those within it.

Finally, only one person, to the very best of our knowledge, has been to every single Shannons Australian Motor Racing Nationals round.

Longstanding motorsport commentator Garry O’Brien has been to all 99 rounds and will bring up the century this weekend.

By Richard Craill