Wakefield Park

Wakefield Park Raceway is a 2.2 km (1.4 mi) motor racing circuit located near Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia.[1] It is named after Charles Cheers Wakefield, the founder of Castrol Oil.[2] The founders of Wakefield Park, John Carter and amateur racer and former motor dealer, Paul Samuels felt that Castrol had been so influential in helping amateurs go motor racing that CC Wakefield should be honoured, especially as Samuels' and Carter's’ circuit was intended for amateur racers in the likelihood in the 1990s of both Amaroo and Oran Park Raceways closing and amateur racers being unable to afford the daily hire rate at Eastern Creek Raceway.

For other uses, see Wakefield Park (disambiguation).
For the closed motor racing circuit in South Australia, see Port Wakefield Circuit.

Wakefield Park Raceway
LocationGoulburn, New South Wales
Time zoneUTC +10
Coordinates34°50′26″S 149°41′7″E
OwnerBenalla Auto Club
OpenedMay, 1994
Major eventsFujitsu V8 Supercar Series
Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships
Length2.200 km (1.367 mi)
Turns10
Race lap record0:53.7711 (Ricky Capo, Dallara F307 Ricky Capo Racing/Modena Engineering-Mugen-Honda, 2015)
Aerial view from a flight from Canberra to Sydney.
Race 3 gets underway during Round 2 of the 2008 Mini Challenge.
View from a Race Car at Wakefield Park
Wakefield Park Short Film

The local arm of Castrol appreciated this and committed to a three-year sum for sponsorship. Consequently, all the buildings, which were all designed by Samuels and Carter, were in Castrol colours, an appropriate but subtle recognition of the Company's involvement. However it was then decided that Castrol was not getting any appreciable value from the modest sponsorship, so it stopped.

History

It was the first privately funded circuit built in NSW in the last 35 years and, says Samuels, "when confronting neighbours and the EPA, I can see why". It took them more than a year, despite the help of Goulburn Council and the local member John Fahey, to find a place that finally gained all the necessary approvals. However it took less than eight months from turning the first sod in mid-October 1993 to its first meeting on 8 May 1994. The total cost of the land and work was $1.2 mill.

Goulburn was chosen as it was close to Canberra, the large population areas of the near south coast around Wollongong, was not too far from Sydney and a three-hour easier journey for Victorians than if it had been close to Sydney.

The road racing circuit has hosted the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, the Australian Superbike Championship,[3] the Australian Motor Racing Series, drifting, as well as state and club level racing, also Speed off the Streets and motorcycle ride days.

Wakefield Park operates under a CAMS National Circuit Licence, AASA and also under the Department of Sport and Recreation permit scheme.

The circuit is located two hours drive from Sydney and about one hour from Canberra, and is positioned on Braidwood Road, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of Goulburn on 130 acres (0.53 km2) of cleared land. There are no trees or natural obstacles near the track. Safety is paramount and ripple strips, tyre walls and gravel traps have been positioned so as to make Wakefield a very safe circuit on which to run any type of racecar, production car or motorcycle. The track was resurfaced by its new owners, Winton Motor Raceway, in late 2007.

The track is open to the public providing three circuits licensed by the NSW Department of Sport and Recreation, CAMS, and Motorcycling NSW Inc and Australian Karting Association Inc. Commercial "thrill rides" operate there.[4]

There is also a hill climb and short variations of the circuit.

Wakefield Park is the title of a 2010 short film with Michael Fitzgerald which was filmed at the circuit.

Lap records
As of October 2018.[5]
Class Driver Vehicle Time Date
Outright
Brad Shiels Tilton Mitsubishi Evo 0:53.0600 25 July 2020
Racing Cars
Formula 3 Ricky Capo Dallara F307 Mercedes-Benz 0:53.7711 17 October 2015
Formula Race Cars Nathan Gotch Dallara F307 0:56.3360 6 March 2016
Formula 4000/OzBoss Ty Hanger Reynard 95D Holden 0:57.5504 25 February 2007
Formula Ford Paul Laskazeski Spectrum 011 Ford 1:00.1986 6 April 2008
Formula Vee Michael Kinsella Jacer F2K10 1:07.0951 12 April 2015
Sports Cars
Sports Sedans Jack Perkins Audi A4-Chevrolet 0:56.2669 18 October 2015
Nations Cup John Bowe Ferrari 360 N-GT 0:59.9060 1 June 2003
Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Roger Lago Porsche 911 GT3 1:00.7828 3 April 2011
GT Greg Crick Dodge Viper GTS 1:01.5344 5 March 2006
Aussie Racing Cars Ben McCashney Falcon-Yamaha 1:05.6777 5 April 2008
Touring Cars
Dunlop V8 Supercar Steve Owen Holden VZ Commodore 0:59.0351 6 April 2008
V8 Touring Cars Terry Wyhoon Ford BA Falcon 1:00.3279 3 April 2011
Super Touring Paul Morris BMW 320i 1:02.1715 29 October 2000[6]
Improved Production Over 2 Litre David Loftus Toyota Starlet 1:04.7700 12 August 2012
Improved Production Under 2 Litre Jordan Cox Honda Civic 1:05.1999 12 April 2015
Commodore Cup Geoff Emery Holden VS Commodore 1:06.6504 3 April 2011
V8 Utes Kerry Wade Ford BF Falcon XR8 1:09.6544 28 May 2006
24 Hours of LeMons John Bermingham BWM 328i E36 1:12.6500 27 Oct 2018
Historic Touring Cars
Group A Craig Markland Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R 1:07.0363 1 April 2007
Group N Ross Donnelley Ford Mustang 1:11.6300 20 February 2000
HQ Holden Kevin Stoopman HQ Holden 1:15.4440 21 June 2015

References
  1. "Wakefield Park Raceway". Wakefield Park Raceway. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  2. https://www.giftsthatthrill.com.au/v8-experiences/wakefield-park-goulburn/
  3. http://www.goulburnpost.com.au/story/3814497/world-champion-bayliss-on-track-at-wakefield-park-asbk/
  4. https://www.giftsthatthrill.com.au/v8-experiences/wakefield-park-goulburn/
  5. http://wakefieldpark.com.au/about/lap-records/
  6. Natsoft Race Results
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