Owners of production cars will be offered an affordable and professional environment to race their vehicles at a national level, on the tyre of their choice, from the start of next season thanks to the creation of the Production Cars Australia Championship (PCAC).
The category is for four-seater cars which have been sold in Australia, up to a recommended retail price of $150,000, and will run a five-round championship on the Australian Motor Racing Series (AMRS) calendar, consisting of a mixture of sprint and endurance races.
The points system for the PCAC will be structured with an emphasis on class results rather than outright positions, and the classes have been structured to take in a wide variety of popular vehicles.
The PCAC will be managed by Matt Baragwanath and the Benalla Auto Club Events team. Mr Baragwanath said the category was created after discussion with interested participants.
“This championship has been created following extensive consultation with production car competitors around Australia, which highlighted the need for a more affordable, less restrictive national category,” Mr Baragwanath said.
“Our race formats will enable teams to run with either one or two drivers, and will provide a mixture of sprint races and longer-distance endurance events, but the distance of these events will be limited to avoid the need for extra pit crew, or expensive refuelling and tyre-changing equipment.”
A distinguishing feature of the series will be an open tyre regulation, with competitors able to choose from a list of approved treaded tyres. Mr Baragwanath said it gives competitors the opportunity to select a tyre that best suits the characteristics of their vehicle.
“One of the main attributes of production car racing is the diversity of machinery it attracts – it’s open to cars of all shapes and sizes, with a wide variety of engine capacities and a mixture of front, rear and all-wheel-drive vehicles,” Mr Baragwanath said.
“A tyre that works well for one sort of car may not be the best for another sort of car; by bringing in an open tyre regulation, we are enabling competitors to opt for a tyre that is best suited to their specific vehicle.”
Each round of the PCAC will consist of a pair of sprint races and a 60-minute endurance race with a compulsory pit stop. The final round at Wakefield Park will feature a two-hour endurance race with a “half-time” break for refuelling.
As part of the AMRS, PCAC competitors will benefit from a streamlined entry process, and consistency of officials and management staff at all rounds. There will also be prizes at each round, along with other competitor incentives.
Further details on the 2020 PCAC are available on the category website and Facebook page.
An overview of the sporting regulations is available here.
2020 Production Cars Australia Championship Calendar
Round 1: Morgan Park, 3-5 April
Round 2: Winton Raceway, 17-19 July
Round 3: Queensland Raceway, 7-9 August
Round 4: Sydney Motorsport Park, 25-27 September
Round 5: Wakefield Park, 13-15 November
