The 2017 Australian Production Car Series will kick off in April with the Bathurst race. The Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour was an all-new event in 2015, the return of production car endurance racing at Bathurst – six hours around Mount Panorama was the basic original formula for the Bathurst 500/1000 in the 1960s and early ‘70s – proving a huge hit.

After Bathurst the series heads to Winton in northern Victoria in June for twin 300km races, and then to Sydney Motorsport Park which hosts three one-hour mini-enduros in July.

In August Queensland Raceway will host two 300km races including the popular ‘Fight in the Night’ Saturday night race.

Phillip Island will host the penultimate round with the Island Four Hour in September before it wraps up at Wakefield Park with two 300km races in early November.

“The last 12 months has been a watershed year for the Australian Production Cars, and we are now counting down the days to our 2016 finale as we look ahead to an action-packed 2017,” Australian Production Cars category manager Iain Sherrin said.

“We will race at not only the iconic Mountain, but also Winton Motor Raceway, Sydney Motorsport Park, Phillip Island, Queensland Raceway and Wakefield Park.

“The calendar also sees us continue to deliver a mix of competitive formats from one hour races to 300km double-headers to four hour stanzas – offering the highest amount of racing miles of any national Series operating in Australia at the moment and with a format that presents an affordable package for all kinds of racers.”

Along with the new calendar and the introduction of the new 3E technical regulations for 2017, further developments are afoot with the Series currently in discussions with CAMS regarding some new eligibility regulations.

The revisions are designed to expand vehicle eligibility for the category to cover all cars under the $150,000 purchase price which are covered by the 3E regulations ratified earlier this year.

“While still keeping to the production car style and under a $150k purchase price,” said Sherrin, “the new regulations will allow a range of two-seater cars such as Nissan 370Zs, Mazda MX5s, Jaguar F-Types, Alfa Romeo 4Cs and so on to join us – moving away slightly from what is currently a touring car-heavy category to a more inclusive production-focused category.

“It is an exciting new stage for us and after such a big development year this year, I can’t wait to see how we grow in the next 12 months.”

2017 Australian Production Car Series calendar
Rd1 – Mount Panorama – April 14-16 – six hour race
Rd2 – Winton – June 9-11 – 2 x 300km races
Rd3 – Sydney Motorsport Park – July 7-9 – 3 x one hour races
Rd4 – Queensland Raceway – Aug 4-6 – 2 x 300km races
Rd5 – Phillip Island – Sept 8-10 – four hour race
Rd6 – Wakefield Park – Nov 4-5 – 2 x 300km races