Queensland Raceway nicknamed "the paperclip" is a motor racing circuit located at Willowbank in

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. The circuit hosted

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 ...

until 2019, drifting as well as club level racing and ride days. QRturn1

Queensland Raceway is long and wide, running

clockwise Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions or senses of rotation. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands relative to the observer: from the top to the right, then down and then to ...

. There are six corners. The circuit was designed by Tony Slattery with input from

car A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

and

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

racing authorities including CAMS circuit expert Professor Rod Troutbeck. Queensland Raceway is a FIA Grade 3 circuit. However, the track uses a mixture of sanctioning bodies including Motorsport Australia, AASA and Motorcycling Australia for its events including race meetings, drifting, motorbike ride days and roll racing. Spectator viewing at the facility is excellent with the flat layout of the circuit and spectator mounds. However the flat layout makes racing less exciting for the competitors than undulating circuits like

Phillip Island Phillip Island (Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung: ''Corriong'', ''Worne'' or ''Millowl'') is an Australian island about south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The island is named after Arthur Phillip, Governor Arthur P ...

. The track became infamous for its bumps, although it was resurfaced in late 2011. Queensland Raceway is located with the bounds of the

Ipswich Motorsport Precinct Ipswich Motorsport Precinct is a government-owned facility, a co-operation between the Ipswich City Council and Queensland Government, which concentrates several branches of motorsport within one area. Located near to RAAF Base Amberley and a coa ...

, which is also home to the

Willowbank Raceway Willowbank Raceway is a drag racing facility located off the Cunningham Highway, Willowbank, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It is located approximately 30–45 minutes drive west of Brisbane. It is part of the Ipswich Motorsport Preci ...

dragstrip A dragstrip is a facility for conducting automobile and motorcycle acceleration events such as drag racing. Although a quarter mile (1320 feet, 402 m) is the best known measure for a drag track, many tracks are eighth mile (201&n ...

, a

kart A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of small sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performance ...

track, a short dirt circuit and a junior (under-16)

motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...

. The track is also located near

RAAF Base Amberley RAAF Base Amberley is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military airbase located southwest of Ipswich, Queensland in Australia and southwest of Brisbane CBD. It is the largest military airbase in Australia. Amberley is one of two defence ...

and shares the base's noise exclusion zone.

Layout configurations

There are three Short Circuit variations of the track in addition to the full circuit: * Sportsman * Clubman * Sprint The National circuit gets the most use for testing purposes and for major motorsport events. The Clubman circuit is also utilised regularly at state and club level racing. The Sprint circuit also in semi-regular use. The Sportsman circuit, originally optimised for truck racing, is now rarely used.

Dick Johnson Straight

Dick Johnson was honoured on 16 August 2001, when the front straight of the Queensland Raceway was officially named "Dick Johnson Straight". Johnson, a five-time national champion and three-time Bathurst winner, proudly unveiled a piece of pit-lane wall, which now bears his name and a plaque commemorating the ceremony and Johnson's motor racing achievements. The unveiling was part of the pre-race build-up to the 2001 VIP Petfoods Queensland 500. Johnson was joined by his son Steve during the ceremony as well as a host of V8 Supercar drivers and teams during what was a serious day of testing at the circuit. Johnson was one of the driving forces behind the development of the Queensland Raceway and made his last competitive drive in a V8 Supercar in 2000's Queensland 500 with son Steve.

Events

; Current * May:

Australian Superbike Championship The Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) is a national motorcycle racing championship in Australia, organized by Motorcycling Australia. History The story of the Australian Superbike Championship begins in 1980, at a time in motorcycle spo ...

* June:

GT World Challenge Australia The GT World Challenge Australia, formerly known as the Australian GT Championship, is a Motorsport Australia-sanctioned national title for drivers of GT cars, held annually from 1960 to 1963, from 1982 to 1985 and from 2005. Each championship ...

, GT4 Australia Series,

Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia is a sports car racing series open to drivers of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. The series was first held in 2008 to fill the void between club racing and the Australian Carrera Cup Championship and Australian ...

, Radical Cup Australia,

National Sports Sedan Series The National Sports Sedans Series, formerly the Australian Sports Sedan Championship, is a Motorsport Australia-sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of cars complying with Australian Sports Sedan regulations. This class, essential ...

Hi-Tec Oils Super Series The Australian Motor Racing Series (sometimes known as Australian Motor Racing Championships) is a collection of national motor racing series travelling to a series of circuits across Australia under a single banner. These race meetings represent ...

''2 Days of Thunder'',

TA2 Racing Muscle Car Series The TA2 Racing Muscle Car Series is an Australian motor racing category using TA2 class cars most closely associated with the American Trans-Am Series. It is the featured category at all rounds of the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series, an annual moto ...

* August:

'' Ipswich Super 440'',

, Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship,

Super2 Series The Dunlop Super2 Series (formerly known as Dunlop Series, Fujitsu V8 Supercars Series, HPDC V8 Supercars Series, Konica Minolta V8 Supercars Series and Konica V8 Supercars/Lites Series) is an Australian touring car racing competition, specifical ...

, Australian Production Car Series,

Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series The GR Cup (previously known as the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series) is an Australian one-make motor racing competition for Toyota 86 cars. It is sanctioned by Motorsport Australia as an Authorised Series with Toyota Motor Corporation Au ...

* September: Excel 300 ; Former: *

Aussie Racing Cars Aussie Racing Cars (ARC), currently known as the Battery World Aussie Racing Cars under sponsorship, is an Australian motor racing category. ARC is a motorcycle powered silhouette racing car class created by former touring car racing driver P ...

(2002–2005, 2010–2011, 2013–2014, 2016, 2018–2019, 2023–2024) *

Australian Formula Ford Championship The Australian Formula Ford Championship is an Australian motor racing competition for drivers of Formula Ford racing cars, held annually since 1970. From 1970 until 1992 it was a national series and from 1993 until 2013 the series was sanctione ...

(1999–2019) *

Australian Mini Challenge The Australian Mini Challenge was a touring car racing category in Australia. First held in 2008, the Mini Challenge supported both the V8 Supercar Championship Series and the V8 Supercar Development Series.2008 V8 Supercars Eastern Creek round o ...

(2010) *

Australian National Trans-Am Series The Australian National Trans-Am Series (also known as the Trico Trans-Am Series after the series sponsor) is a national motor sport series based on the American Trans-Am series. It is a spec series featuring featuring TA2-class cars, and runs ...

(2022–2024) *

Australian Super Touring Championship The Australian Super Touring Championship (formerly known as the Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship) was a Confederation of Australian Motor Sport, CAMS-sanctioned national motor racing title for Super Touring Cars. History Super Touri ...

(1999, 2002) *

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 ...

(2015–2018) *

** ''

Queensland 500 The Queensland 500 was a motorsport endurance race held at Queensland Raceway near Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It was best known as a V8 Supercars race held from 1999 to 2002. History Background The Queensland 500 was launched by the V8 Su ...

'' (1999–2002) *

SuperUtes Series The SuperUtes Series (promoted as the V8 SuperUte Series) is an Australian pickup truck racing competition that was launched in 2018 as a successor to the V8 Ute Racing Series. The series' events are held as a support category to Supercars Champ ...

(2018–2019) *

TCR Australia Touring Car Series The TCR Australia Touring Car Series is a touring car racing series based in Australia. The series is run as part of the Shannons Nationals series. Background The TCR Touring Car formula, introduced in 2014, is based on four or five door fron ...

(2019, 2022–2024) *

Touring Car Masters Touring Car Masters is an Australian motor racing series open to modified touring cars manufactured between 1 January 1963 and 31 December 1980. It evolved out of a previous series for CAMS Group N Touring Cars but with a greater degree of mo ...

(2009, 2012–2013, 2015–2017, 2019) *

V8 Ute Racing Series The V8 Ute Racing Series, known originally as the V8 BRute Utes was an Australian motor racing series for Coupé utility, utilities, derived from the Australian Production Car Championship. It was conceived in 2000 by Procar Australia, PROCAR chie ...

(2001–2003, 2006–2008, 2017)

Lap records

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

Future development

A huge accident on 1 May 2010 in a Mini Challenge support race to the

2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series The 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series was an FIA sanctioned international motor racing series for V8 Supercars. It was the twelfth V8 Supercar Championship Series and the fourteenth series in which V8 Supercars have contested the premi ...

sparked discussion about the safety of the circuit. However, circuit owner at the time, John Tetley insisted that the track was still safe. TeamVodafone driver

Craig Lowndes Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing car driver in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship racing for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator. Lowndes is a three-time V8 Superca ...

suggested that Queensland Raceway was long overdue for upgrades including a resurfacing. Tetley stated that resurfacing would be done in late 2010, although major flooding in the south-east Queensland region early in 2011, and the subsequent lack of availability of necessary equipment as devastated roads are repaired has seen that resurfacing delayed for twelve months. In October 2011 the resurfacing was commenced and completed before Christmas. During July 2016, the Ipswich council announced plans to invest $220 million upgrading Queensland Raceway. The first phase of the project is to extend the length of current circuit. The proposed plans by the council were never followed through with after massive upheaval and controversy. The company responsible (Ipswich Motorsport Park PTY LTD) for the redevelopment was wound up in 2017 and de-registered. In October 2021 former owner John Tetley and Tony Quinn signed a pact under which the Quinn took the lease, management and operations of Queensland Raceway. Since this time the circuit has seen a big investment to lift its standards and facilities to where they should have been.

Willowbank 300

The Willowbank 300 is held annually at Queensland Raceway as part of the Queensland Endurance Championship. The Endurance Championship consists of the Ipswich event and the Lakeside Park 300 which is traditionally held in the latter part of the year at the historic circuit north of Brisbane. The Willowbank 300 has been a landmark event on the Queensland Raceway calendar since 2014.

Fatalities at the circuit

There have been five fatalities at the venue since it opened in 1999. Porsche Supercup driver Sean Edwards in 2013 during testing, as well as club-racer Dennis Smith at a sprint event in 2016. Two further deaths occurred when a 32-year-old driver and 41-year-old passenger were killed in August 2017. In 2023, Shane Savage died at the Queensland Raceway after his car rolled.

References

External links

Queensland RacewayRide / Race your motorbike at QLD raceway
{{Australian Superbike Championship circuits Motorsport venues in Queensland Supercars Championship circuits Sport in Ipswich, Queensland