VMRC Thunder To Descend On Calder
The penultimate round of the Victorian Motor Racing Championship will see NASCAR and AUSCARs return to their spiritual home, Calder Park Raceway from September 27-29.
Words: Dan McCarthy
In a weekend full of high-octane action featuring both national and state level racing categories, it seems only fitting that the big banging NASCARs and AUSCARs return to Calder, competing on the road course.
However, it is not just the road course track that will be used. For one hour on Saturday and Sunday during the lunch break, demonstration laps will be completed around the iconic Thunderdome on which the NASCARs and AUSCARs used to compete, and fans are able to align the fences and watch.
The 1.801 km oval is a scaled down version of the Charlotte Motor Speedway in America and has up to 24 degrees of banking on the turns. It will be very special to see these iconic cars on the historic track which was used for a decade and a half.
On the road course, the NASCARs, second-tier AUSCARs and NASCAR Trucks will be competing in Stock Cars Australia. On Saturday they have a practice qualifying and two races, before the final pair of races on Sunday.
These machines will be mixed in a category featuring TA2 cars, Sports Sedans and a variety of other big V8 powered machines.
There are a whole host of other categories at the event, the Australian Driver’s Championship, 2 Litre Sports Sedans & APRA, Super TT and two Excel categories.
The Australian Drivers’ Championship is back on the VMRC bill after a recent trip to South Australia. This championship has certainly gone up a notch in 2024 in terms of professionalism and competitiveness. On any given weekend at least a handful of drivers can take race victories.
Reigning champion Damon Sterling currently leads the series, and while others have had the speed to match him, Sterling has had imperious consistency.
Calder will prove an interesting round once again, the long pit straight will produce thrilling slipstreaming duals in the light-weight open-wheel Hyper Racer X1 cars.
The loud and unique 2L Sports Sedans, a staple of the VMRC will be in action at Calder alongside the APRA Nissan Pulsars.
After dominating the early rounds of the season, Toyota Corolla driver Steve Howard has had his series lead slashed after mechanical issues plagued him last round at Winton.This has opened the door for the likes of Lynda Devlin in her Mini and James Harris in the Nissan Bluebird to fight for the title in the closing rounds.
Already a large field of APRA Pulsars have entered also, they will be fighting for category honours and always showcase door-to-door action. They can also play a factor in determining the outcome of the 2L Sports Sedans race.
Super TT is a category built between the regulations of Sports Sedans and Improved Production, and as a result a large variety of machines are always entered to compete within the category. At Calder, Super TT will share the track with the Stock Cars Australia.
As always at VMRC events there will be two Hyundai Excel categories, one for the elder drivers, the Masters, out there for a bit of fun and a lot of close racing. While the youngsters are in Trophy, they aren’t afraid to fight, bang door panels and make some aggressive dive bombs. You can never, ever, take your eyes off Excel Trophy. The two categories will be split, and have four races each. Every category across Saturday and Sunday has a practice session, qualifying and four races, with Friday an optional practice day.
Here is the event schedule: https://wintonraceway.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/VMRC-2024-Calder-Rd4-Schedule-v8-2.pdf
It will be a great family friendly event to attend, a weekend pass costs just $30 each, Saturday only is $15 and Sunday $20. Kids under the age of 16 can enter for free, while Friday practice day is free for all fans. You can buy tickets using this link: https://events.humanitix.com/victoria-motor-racing-championship-vmrc-round-4-september-27-29-calder-park-raceway