1990 Nissan Sydney 500
The 1990 Nissan Sydney 500 was motor race held on 10 November 1990 at Eastern Creek Raceway[1] in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The race, which was open to Group 3A Touring Cars,[2] was the final round of both the 1990 Australian Endurance Championship and the 1990 Australian Manufacturers' Championship.[3] Held over a distance of 500 kilometers, it was the first touring car event to be held at Eastern Creek Raceway.[4]
The race was won by Larry Perkins and Tomas Mezera driving a Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV. The race was broadcast by Ch.9 with commentary provided by Darrell Eastlake, Win Percy, Alan Jones (who also drove a Ford Sierra RS500 in the race), and legendary Formula One commentator Murray Walker (the race was held just a week after the 1990 Australian Grand Prix held in Adelaide).
Divisional structure
Cars competed in three engine capacity divisions.[5]
Division 1
Division 1, for cars of 3001cc and Over engine capacity,[6] featured the turbocharged Ford Sierras, Nissan Skylines and Toyota Supras and V8 Holden Commodores.
Division 2
Division 2, for cars of 1601 to 3000cc engine capacity,[6] was composed of BMW M3s, a BMW 323i and a Mercedes-Benz 190E.
Division 3
Division 3, for cars of Up to 1600cc engine capacity,[6] included various models of Toyota Corolla and Toyota Sprinter.
Official results
Top 10 Qualifying
| Pos | No | Team | Driver | Car | Qual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pole | 1 | Nissan Motorsport Australia | Mark Skaife | Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R | 1:35.26 |
| 2 | 11 | Perkins Engineering | Larry Perkins | Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV | 1:35.66 |
| 3 | 25 | Benson & Hedges Racing | Tony Longhurst | Ford Sierra RS500 | 1:35.78 |
| 4 | 35 | Peter Jackson Racing | Glenn Seton | Ford Sierra RS500 | 1:36.18 |
| 5 | 17 | Shell Ultra Hi Racing | John Bowe | Ford Sierra RS500 | 1:36.56 |
| 6 | 05 | Mobil 1 Racing | Peter Brock | Ford Sierra RS500 | 1:36.68 |
| 7 | 20 | Benson & Hedges Racing | David Brabham | Ford Sierra RS500 | 1:37.22 |
| 8 | 21 | Bob Forbes Racing | Mark Gibbs | Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV | 1:37.26 |
| 9 | 30 | Peter Jackson Racing | George Fury | Ford Sierra RS500 | 1:37.36 |
| 10 | 6 | Mobil 1 Racing | Charlie O'Brien | Ford Sierra RS500 | 1:37.44 |
Race
Race results as follows:[7]
| Pos. | Div. | No. | Team | Drivers | Car | Laps | Qual. Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 11 | Perkins Engineering | Larry Perkins Tomas Mezera |
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV | 125 | 2 |
| 2 | 1 | 35 | Peter Jackson Racing | Glenn Seton Colin Bond |
Ford Sierra RS500 | 125 | 4 |
| 3 | 1 | 05 | Mobil 1 Racing | Peter Brock Andrew Miedecke |
Ford Sierra RS500 | 124 | 6 |
| 4 | 1 | 20 | Benson & Hedges Racing | Gary Brabham David Brabham |
Ford Sierra RS500 | 123 | 7 |
| 5 | 1 | 30 | Peter Jackson Racing | George Fury Drew Price |
Ford Sierra RS500 | 123 | 9 |
| 6 | 1 | 25 | Benson & Hedges Racing | Tony Longhurst Alan Jones |
Ford Sierra RS500 | 123 | 3 |
| 7 | 1 | 28 | Playscape Racing | Kevin Waldock Andrew Bagnall |
Ford Sierra RS500 | 123 | 12 |
| 8 | 1 | 33 | Pro-Duct Motorsport | Bob Pearson Bruce Stewart |
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV | 122 | 16 |
| 9 | 1 | 4 | Lansvale Racing Team | Steve Reed Trevor Ashby |
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV | 122 | 11 |
| 10 | 1 | 6 | Mobil 1 Racing | Charlie O'Brien David Parsons |
Ford Sierra RS500 | 121 | 10 |
| 11 | 1 | 12 | Ray Lintott | Ray Lintott Terry Shiel |
Ford Sierra RS500 | 121 | 13 |
| 12 | 1 | 26 | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Garry Rogers Paul Fordham |
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV | 121 | 14 |
| 13 | 1 | 27 | Terry Finnigan | Terry Finnigan Geoff Leeds |
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV | 120 | 15 |
| 14 | 1 | 42 | Lusty Engineering | John Lusty Bernie Stack |
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV | 119 | 20 |
| 15 | 2 | 51 | Phil Ward Racing | Phil Ward John Goss |
Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 | 118 | 23 |
| 16 | 2 | 54 | Bryce Racing | Brett Riley Craig Baird |
BMW M3 | 117 | 26 |
| 17 | 1 | 2 | Alf Grant | Alf Grant Tim Grant |
Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R | 117 | 24 |
| 18 | 1 | 45 | Lester Smerdon | Lester Smerdon Graham Jonsson |
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV | 116 | 25 |
| 19 | 3 | 71 | Toyota Team Australia | John Faulkner John Smith Neal Bates |
Toyota Corolla FX-GT | 115 | 28 |
| 20 | 2 | 53 | Brian Bolwell Racing | Brian Bolwell Mike Twigden |
BMW 323i | 111 | 29 |
| 21 | 3 | 78 | Phoenix Motorsport | Geoff Full David Ratcliff |
Toyota Sprinter | 111 | 30 |
| 22 | 1 | 32 | Hersonne Engineering | Laurie Donaher Marc Ducquet |
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A | 109 | 34 |
| 23 | 3 | 76 | Peter Verheyen | Peter Verheyen John Vernon |
Toyota Sprinter | 109 | 36 |
| 24 | 3 | 72 | David Sala | David Sala Richard Vorst |
Toyota Corolla | 106 | 32 |
| DNF | 1 | 17 | Shell Ultra-Hi Racing | Dick Johnson John Bowe |
Ford Sierra RS500 | 123 | 5 |
| DNF | 2 | 52 | M3 Motorsport | Peter Doulman John Cotter |
BMW M3 | 109 | 22 |
| DNF | 3 | 75 | Bob Holden Motors | Dennis Rogers Garry Jones |
Toyota Corolla | 75 | 31 |
| DNF | 1 | 21 | Bob Forbes Racing | Mark Gibbs Rohan Onslow |
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV | 64 | 8 |
| DNF | 1 | 19 | Caltex CXT Racing | Ken Mathews John Mathews |
Ford Sierra RS500 | 64 | 27 |
| DNF | 1 | 22 | Lusty Engineering | Graham Lusty Ken Lusty |
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV | 52 | 21 |
| DNF | 1 | 1 | Nissan Motorsport Australia | Jim Richards Mark Skaife |
Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R | 51 | 1 |
| DNF | 1 | 29 | Wayne Park | Wayne Park John English |
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV | 49 | 19 |
| DNF | 3 | 74 | Bob Holden Motors | Phil Alexander Keith McCulloch |
Toyota Corolla | 44 | 33 |
| DNF | 1 | 46 | Garry Willmington Performance | Garry Willmington John Bourke |
Toyota Supra Turbo | 24 | 18 |
| DNF | 1 | 23 | Beaurepaires Racing | Chris Lambden Des Wall |
Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R | 18 | 17 |
| DNF | 3 | 73 | Bob Holden Motors | Bob Holden Mike Conway |
Toyota Sprinter | 8 | 35 |
| DNS[8] | 1[9] | 40[9] | John Leeson[9] Gary Cooke[9] |
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A | - | - |
Statistics
- Pole Position - #1 Jim Richards - Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R - 1:35.26
- Fastest Lap - #11 Larry Perkins - Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV - 1:37.84 (new lap record)[1]
- Winners' average speed - 140.61 km/h[1]
References
- ^ a b c 1990 Championship Results, Nissan Sydney 500, Australian Motor Racing Year 1990/91, page 281
- ^ Conditions for Australian Titles, The Australian Manufacturers' Championship, 1990 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 172 to 173
- ^ Exciting Creek Debut, Australian Motor Racing Year 1990/91, pages 232 to 235
- ^ 1990 Nissan 500 - Eastern Creek (full race)
- ^ Exciting Creek Debut, Australian Motor Racing Year 1990/91, pages 232 to 235 makes reference to Division 2 and Division 3 competitors
- ^ a b c 1990 Tooheys 1000 TV Guide, Modern Motor, October 1990, pages 66 & 67 specifies the three Divisions used in the Tooheys 1000, which was also a round of both the 1990 Australian Endurance Championship and the 1990 Australian Manufacturers' Championship
- ^ Clarke, Andrew (December 1990). "Worker's Compensation". Racing Car News. Hornsby: Chevron Publishing Group: 44–48.
- ^ John Evans, LP: What a gas!, Australian Auto Action, 16 November 1990, pages 12 to 15
- ^ a b c d Nissan 500, touringcarracing.net, as archived at web.archive.org