question re; Mallalla racetrack in Sth Aust.

[jr20516v]

Can someone tell me how good 1 minute 30 seconds is for Malalla track..
doesnt matter what car it is however it is 1.6 ltr. Is that time good for such a
car.

Any help would be great, cheers JR

 

[pugsy]

Yes, a very good time, does it have any mods because that's a bloody good time, my uncles 88 205 Gti with sticky tyres and stiffer springs is doing about 1:30.

 

[Simon]

As mentioned it probably does depend on the state of tune and mods as to whether it is a good or really good time.

A WRX has done it in 1.22, a Cooper S historic racer has done 1.24's and R8 Gordini's have done it in 1.33-1.35's.

 

[Ray Bell]

Created in 1961 when the CAMS decreed that South Australia would miss out on its chance of holding the Australian Grand Prix if they didn't find a better circuit on which to hold it than Port Wakefield.

Mallala was for sale, an old Air Force training base with grass runways and a lot of bitumen taxiways and roads between admin buildings and quarters.

Led principally by stonemason Steve Tillett, the group who had set up Port Wakefield dismantled all their gear from there and moved it to Mallala, with a shakedown meeting being held in August in preparation for the Grand Prix in October. The circuit was 1.6 miles long.

Dismally, the GP was marred by a bad call of a jumped start, and a minute penalty applied to David McKay (whose car got off the line like no other) was to rob him of a well earned victory. Of course, the lucky win fell to Lex Davison, who had already had a lucky win at Caversham four years earlier when lap scorers lost count in the intense heat and gave him the race many reckoned belonged to Stan Jones.

Three or four years later the circuit was shortened, as the part that made the sweeping back 'straight' much longer, leading down to a hairpin that gave a longer run to the left handers that bring the cars back into the roads that used to be between the barracks, was breaking up. Circuit length then, as now, was 1.3 miles.

Mallala was sold to Keith Williams about 1969 when he was building the AIR complex, and he onsold it once AIR was completed to a local farmer. He placed a covenant on the property that motor racing could never take place there again.

Clem Smith, Chrysler dealer and extreme enthusiast, and among those who had set up the place originally, bought it during the seventies and commenced a long legal battle to have the covenant lifted. He succeeded and Mallala recommenced operations during the eighties.

With the ever-growing battles between the CAMS and Bob Jane, who bought AIR from Williams when his plan to build major circuits in the four eastern states was foiled by lack of approval for this in NSW and Victoria, Mallala was able to rejoin the mainstream and attract big crowds to major meetings.

The windfall income was ploughed back into the circuit, which has amenities that seem to be pretty much as good as anywhere.

I haven't seen Mallala since about 1979, during Clem's battle period. I had to go there as part of my pursuit to become the only person who has seen and been around every circuit ever used for the Australian Grand Prix. When I arrived, I found that the Ducati Owners Club were having a ride day, so I had to don helmet and ride pillion to go around the circuit.

That completed, I recalled the bit about the circuit being shortened, so I traipsed across the paddock and walked the bit now abandoned. Mallala was, in fact, the last circuit I had to see to complete my task.

That said, it is a shame that South Australia has such a wimpy selection of circuits today. After what they had in the past (and I don't mean Gawler here...), it pales into insignificance.

That's why I drive around Lobethal every time I hit that state...

 

[Chris Mobbs]

MALLALA TRACK TIMES

G'day JR. If the car was out at a Marque Sports Car Assoc meeting in 2003 I have all the times recorded for all cars at each meeting. Kestrel Clubman (1600) did 1:30's. also a Mazda MX-5 did a 1:29.64 - would have to be warmed up to do that I reckon because standard MX-5's do about 1:35. If you want to name the car I'll see if it's one of the 90 entries that come to a MSCA supersprint.

 

[jr20516v]

Hi Chris, hows that 16v going? The car is an Alfasud 1.5 hope this helps as i am interested if that is a good time . cheers jr

 

[MondeoST24]

I was involved with Clubcar racing at Mallala a few years ago with a Honda Civic running a 1600cc CRX engine. If my memory serves me right the best time that car ran was around 1:24. The same car also ran in the 14 second bracket at AIR for the 1/4 mile IIRC.

So 1:30 for a road car is very good. I think the Civic held the track record for Clubcars in it's class for a short time- our main oposition was a Mini (and a very fast one I might add.) It also took out a record at Collingrove Hillclimbs for it's class.