The Sun-7 Chesterfield Series was an Australian touring car racing series staged at Amaroo Park in Sydney, New South Wales from 1971 to 1981. The actual series name varied from year to year, according to the commercial sponsorship secured by the series promoters, the Australian Racing Drivers Club.
| Category | Touring car racing |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Inaugural season | 1971 |
| Folded | 1981 |
| Last Drivers' champion |  Steve Masterton |
Initially run for Group E Series Production Touring Cars the series switched to the new Australian Group C Touring Car regulations in 1973. The series was a precursor to the later AMSCAR touring car series which was run at Amaroo Park from 1982.
History edit
In 1971 Lakis Manticas won the inaugural "Sun-7" title driving a Morris Cooper S, with points being allocated evenly among the three engine capacity classes.
The tight Amaroo Park circuit suited the Holden Torana GTR XU-1s. Leading Sydney-based Torana drivers, such as the Holden Dealer Team's Colin Bond, Bob Morris, Don Holland and Allan Grice were prominent in the series. John Goss in the McLeod Ford entered Ford Falcon GT and Ford stalwart Fred Gibson were regular front-runners, while Chrysler drivers Leo Geoghegan and Doug Chivas also appeared. Colin Bond won the series three times in a row, from 1972 to 1974.
For 1975 the Sun-7 Rothmans Series was restricted to cars with an engine capacity of under 3 litres, meaning that larger engined cars such as the Holden Torana SL/R 5000 and Ford Falcon GT could no longer compete. In the 3 litre era some of the main contenders included Bo Seton's Ford Capri, Don Holland and Allan Grice in Mazda RX-3's and Bob Morris in a Triumph Dolomite.
For the 1981 series the engine capacity limit of the competing cars was increased from 3.0 litres to 3.5 litres[1] and the following year the 3.5 litre capacity limit was removed for what was now entitled the AMSCAR.[2]
Winners edit
| Year | Series name | Driver | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Sun-7 Series[3] | Lakis Manticas[4]
|
Morris Cooper S | British Leyland Works Team |
| 1972 | Sun-7 Series[5] | Colin Bond[6]
|
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Holden Dealer Team |
| 1973 | Sun 7 Better Brakes Gold Medal Series[7] | Colin Bond[8]
|
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Holden Dealer Team |
| 1974 | Sun-7 Chesterfield Series[9] | Colin Bond[10]
|
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34 |
Holden Dealer Team |
| 1975 | Sun-7 Rothmans Series[11] | Barry Seton[12]
|
Ford Capri GT 3000 Mk.I[12] | |
| 1976 | Rothmans Sun-7 Series[13] | Allan Grice[13]
|
Mazda RX-3[13] | Mazda House Racing[13] |
| 1977 | Sun-7 Rothmans Touring Car Series[14] | Barry Seton[15]
|
Ford Capri V6[15] | |
| 1978 | Rothmans Sun-7 Series[16] | Peter Williamson[16]
|
Toyota Celica[16] | |
| 1979 | Better Brakes Under 3 Litre Series[17] | Barry Seton[17]
|
Ford Capri[17] | |
| 1980 | Better Brakes Touring Car Series[18] | Barry Seton[18]
|
Ford Capri[18] | |
| 1981 | Better Brakes 3.5 Litre Series[1] | Steve Masterton[1]
|
Ford Capri V6[1] |
Multiple winners edit
By driver edit
| Wins | Driver | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Barry Seton
|
1975, 1977, 1979, 1980 |
| 3 | Colin Bond
|
1972, 1973, 1974 |
By manufacturer edit
| Wins | Manufacturer |
|---|---|
| 5 | Ford |
| 3 | Holden |
References edit
- ^ a b c d e Better Brakes 3.5 Litre Series, Australian Motor Racing Yearbook, 1981/82, pages 188 to 189
- ^ Better Brakes AMSCAR, Australian Motor Racing Yearbook, 1982/83, page 198
- ^ Peter Wherrett, Holland takes Sun-7 opener, Racing Car News, April 1971
- ^ Racing Car News, October 1971
- ^ David Hassall, Into the Lion's Den, Brocky, 2009
- ^ Racing Car News, October 1972
- ^ Official Programme, Sun 7 Better Brakes Gold Medal Series, Amaroo Park Raceway, Sunday 18 Aug. 1973
- ^ Sydney Morning Herald - 19 August 1973 - pg 15
- ^ Falcon GT By The Years: 1974, www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au Retrieved on 25 June 2019
- ^ Bob Morris's LJ XU-1 Torana, www.bowdensown.com.au Retrieved via web.archive.org on 24 February 2014
- ^ Official Programme, Sun 7 Rothmans Series, Amaroo Park Raceway, Sunday 20 July 1975
- ^ a b Amaroo Park 3-Litre Series, Australian Competition Yearbook, 1976 Edition, pages 82 to 84
- ^ a b c d Rothmans Sun-7 Series, Australian Competition Yearbook, 1977 Edition, pages 114 to 120
- ^ Programme of Events, Official Programme, Amaroo Park, 14 August 1977, page 5
- ^ a b Seton wins by a point, The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 August 1977, page 22
- ^ a b c Rothmans SUN-7 Series, Australian Competition Yearbook Number 8, pages 142 to 143
- ^ a b c Motor Racing, The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 August 1979, page 24
- ^ a b c Motor Racing, The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 July 1980, page 23