Barbagallo Raceway
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Wanneroo Raceway, currently known as CARCO.com.au Raceway for
naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization where a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event (most often sports venues), typical ...
reasons, is a motorsport circuit located in Neerabup, approximately north of
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
in
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
. It was built by the WA Sporting Car Club. The circuit was originally known as Wanneroo Park and the first race meet took place in March 1969. Initially the major race per year was a 6-hour
Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
style race for
sedans A sedan (American English) or saloon (British English) is a passenger car in a three-box configuration with separate compartments for an engine, passengers, and cargo. The first recorded use of ''sedan'' in reference to an automobile body oc ...
and
sports cars A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1910s and ar ...
known as the Six Hour Le Mans. However, as interest dulled in that event,
production car racing Production car racing, showroom stock racing, street stock, pure stock, touring and U-car racing are all categories of auto racing where unmodified (or very lightly modified) production cars race each other, outright and also in classes. Oval tr ...
took over as the major race type. In
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
, the
Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual Formula One motor racing event, taking place in Melbourne, Victoria. The event is contracted to be held at least until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Gran ...
was held for the first and so far only time at Wanneroo Raceway which coincided with the opening of the new pits and paddock area to the west of the circuit. The Grand Prix was won by
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
n
Johnnie Walker Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky produced by Diageo in Scotland. It was established in the Scottish burgh of Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire in 1820, and continued to be produced and bottled at the town's Hill Street plant, once the world's ...
driving a Lola T332
Formula 5000 Formula 5000 (or F5000) was an Open-wheel car, open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel ...
. Walker was the last driver to win the AGP driving a Formula 5000. In 1992, it was decided that a short circuit would be constructed by linking Turn 5 on the current circuit to the back straight forming a new circuit. This extension was funded by prominent West Australian motorsport identity Alf Barbagallo and hence the circuit name was changed to Barbagallo Raceway. The short circuit allowed for an increase in the types of racing including the inclusion of
truck racing Truck racing is a form of motorsport road racing which involves modified versions of heavy tractor units on road racing or oval track circuits. History The sport started in the United States at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 17, 1979 an ...
and also allowed events to be run at night. The circuit was renamed Wanneroo Raceway in 2020, however its name was changed as CARCO.com.au Raceway from August 2022 to November 2025.


Events

The track holds a number of major race meets each year, with the biggest being a round of the
Supercars Championship The Supercars Championship, also known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship and historically as V8 Supercars, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération I ...
called the Perth SuperSprint. This is one of the biggest sporting events in
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
each year with over 50,000 people attending the 3-day event. The circuit offers patrons drift racing as an occasional spectacle. Some criticism has also come from opponents of drifting, due to damage caused to the track surface, especially heading into Cat Corner at the end of the main straight, where entries of over are not uncommon. The circuit hosted the inaugural Australian Festival of Speed in 2010.
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
team
Red Bull Racing Red Bull Racing, currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing and also known simply as Red Bull or RBR, is a Formula One racing team, List of Formula One constructors#Team's nationality, competing under an Austrian racing licence and based in ...
and driver Mark Webber attended for a demonstration. The festival never returned to the circuit, having bankrupted the owners. The circuit also hosts a number of motorcycle racing and training events, including the WA State Championships for Superbikes, Supersport and Sidecars – along with a number of support classes.


Upgrades

The circuit was completely resurfaced in 2004 and this saw almost all lap records broken in the first few months of 2004. Due to the sandy nature of the area the circuit slowly became more and more abrasive over time and was considered one of the toughest on tyres in the country. Due to the removal of the circuit from the V8 Supercar calendar for 2010 season, the state government considered upgrading the track to improve the quality of the track and its facilities. Many options were considered, which included extending the track to the north which would roughly double the length of the circuit, there were also alternative extension plans which were smaller. The widening of the track was also addressed, which would be needed to extend the track for safety regulations. The plan of the track extension was expensive if all aspects of the plan were considered, this would see this major upgrade of the circuit be postponed until the necessary upgrades are completed. On 18 July 2011, the track's control tower was torn down, beginning the first stage of upgrades that saw the track widened, and a new pit facility built in the centre of the circuit, with connecting bridge. Improved lighting and safety barriers, as well as upgrades to facilities and buildings within the circuit formed part of the project. Following a number of deaths at the circuit in motorcycle events, motorcycle racing was banned from Wanneroo Raceway in November 2016 until a number of safety upgrades could be implemented. In June 2016 the WA government released the "Wanneroo Safety Enhancement Options Identification Assessment", also known as the Hall Report, recommending changes to the circuit to allow motorbike racing to return. These upgrades included the addition of a motorcycle-only chicane at turn 3, a barrier wall through the infield area between turns 4 and the back straight and some other minor improvements, and were added to the circuit in January 2017. The circuit was resurfaced again in early 2019, and was relicenced by Motorcycling Australia in March 2019, allowing racing to return.


Touring Car round winners

Wanneroo Raceway has held rounds of the
Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the Repco Supercars Championship awarded the troph ...
since 1973. The circuit was left off the calendar from 1974 to 1977 and again in 2010. Craig Lowndes has won the most ATCC / V8 Supercars rounds at the circuit with six wins. The most successful touring car team at Wanneroo is the Dick Johnson Racing with seven wins. The first ATCC race held at the circuit in
1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
was won by Allan Moffat driving a Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III for the Ford Works Team.


Events

; Current * February: CARCO.com.au Night Masters Cup * June:
Supercars Championship The Supercars Championship, also known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship and historically as V8 Supercars, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération I ...
'' Perth SuperSprint'', SuperUtes Series, Aussie Racing Cars, Perth Motorsport Tyres Cup * October: Bob Creasy Memorial ; Former * Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship (1993) *
Australian Drivers' Championship The Australian Drivers' Championship is a motor racing championship contested annually since 1957 by drivers of cars complying with Australia's premier open-wheeler racing category. This category was determined by the Confederation of Australia ...
(1979, 1982, 1984–1986) * Australian Formula Ford Championship (1992, 1994, 1996–2007) *
Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual Formula One motor racing event, taking place in Melbourne, Victoria. The event is contracted to be held at least until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Gran ...
(1979) * Australian GT Production Car Championship (2000) * Australian Improved Production Nationals (2010, 2017) * Australian Mini Challenge (2008–2009) *
Australian Sports Car Championship The Australian Sports Car Championship was the national title for sports car racing drivers sanctioned by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport from 1969 to 1988. Each championship was contested over a series of races with the exception of ...
(1970–1973, 1982) * Australian Sports Sedan Championship (1976–1981, 1999) * Australian Superbike Championship (1990–2001, 2004–2006, 2011–2012, 2015–2016) *
Formula 4 Australian Championship Formula 4 Australian Championship Certified by FIA (from 2025, the AU4 Australian Championship) is an Australian motor racing series for open-wheel cars complying with Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA Formula 4 regulations. The i ...
(2017) * GT World Challenge Australia (1982, 2016–2017, 2019, 2023) * Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship (2004–2005, 2008, 2011–2012) * Six Hour Le Mans (1969–1972) *
Stadium Super Trucks The Stadium Super Trucks (SST), formerly known as Speed Energy Formula Off-Road, also known as the Boost Mobile Super Trucks in Australia, is an American short course off-road racing series created by off-road racer and former IndyCar and NASCAR d ...
(2017–2018) * Touring Car Masters (2005, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2024) * V8 Ute Racing Series (2008, 2011–2015)


Lap records

As of June 2025, the fastest official race lap records at Wanneroo Raceway are listed as:


Oral history

* John Hurney * Patsie McCrakan


Notes


References


External links


CARCO.com.au Raceway
{{Stadium Super Trucks tracks Motorsport venues in Western Australia Supercars Championship circuits Australian Grand Prix Neerabup, Western Australia Sports venues completed in 1969 1969 establishments in Australia