300:, a Ferrari-based team which at its peak was running By this point the Australian Super Touring Championship was in decline and the Procar family of categories were now all-but the lead act. With the big GT Sportscars separated into their own class the GT Production Car series continued with the Mitsubishi Lancers, Subaru Imprezas, Mazda RX-7s and
380:
dropped the Brutes moniker continued to develop its niche strongly and is now a mainstay of the V8 Supercar support program. Nations Cup all but collapsed. A new series was created for them, without the controversial Holden
Monaros, based on international GT3 regulations and reviving one of
355:
title and the series became much like its pre-Procar early 1990s roots with large sedans racing against smaller sports cars. With Procar now running its own meetings costs had jumped but interest had declined and Palmer folded the Procar operation in 2004.
240:
won a very hard-fought championship in the top class in his
Porsche against Richards and Peter Fitzgerald with the component classes being won by John Bourke (Subaru Impreza), Sexton (Ford Falcon), Chris Kousparis (Mazda 626) and Pavicevic (Suzuki Swift).
323:
support programs as Super
Touring continued to collapse. The Nations Cup series continued to grow to the point in 2002 where the defunct Bathurst 12 Hour was revived as a 24-hour race, evoking similar European events the
236:. The overlap of the bottom class of GT Production and the top class of Production cars were merged, although the Citroens and Peugeots of the old Class C did not return to race against the Pulsars and 626s.
336:
races were hugely expensive to run. While some
European and Asian teams travelled to the race, there was not enough interest to sustain the costs and just the two races were held, both dominated by
284:
race saw Wayne Park in a
Ferrari F355 clip a back-marking Ford Falcon and was destroyed in a heavy crash. This became the impetus to separate the top class into its own series, the
297:
376:. The Performance Car series suffered declining numbers and ran its last series in 2007. Their competitors merged in the Production Car Championship in 2008.
197:. This also saw the addition of sedan-based sub-classes to embrace the middle-specification Bathurst 12 Hour cars, resulting in a three class structure.
316:. The V8 BRute Utes were instantly popular and created a whole new genre of race fans, particularly with its aggressive panel-rubbing drivers.
373:
347:
2003 saw the GT Production car championship split again as the higher performance muscle cars and
Japanese turbo cars split off forming the
122:
prior to Palmer's involvement and had steered the category from the escalating costs of a series concentrating on
Japanese sports cars like
281:
110:
Procar
Australia ceased operations in 2004 with Palmer citing financial issues as the reason for the company's withdrawal from the sport.
163:
135:
131:
348:
244:
This class structure continued for four years. Over time there was an increasing emphasis on the top class as more exotic cars, like
62:
56:
50:
382:
365:
74:
369:
352:
217:
190:
119:
80:
171:
389:. After a couple of seasons where their grid was bolstered by the Australian Porsche Drivers Challenge (known today as the
390:
285:
221:
194:
68:
35:
288:
for the 2000 season. This would attract interest from supercar manufacturers and importers with a factory supported
477:
417:
198:
166:. Palmer was behind the new series and he took over the existing Procar organisation. With the creation of
97:
43:
46:. It acted as the administrator for various championships and series for production based cars including:
436:
130:
into running sedans in the early 1990s, until finally transitioning to just front-wheel drive sedans in
386:
368:. Production Cars, now run by the Production Car Association of Australia continues to this day as the
179:
472:
261:
228:. The top class was split with the European and Japanese sports car which now included exotica like
341:
206:
364:
The four categories each went their own way. GT Performance dropped the GT prefix becoming the
154:
which centred on cars built to the same rules, but much higher specification vehicles like the
329:
340:
adapted with seven-litre
Chevrolet engines specifically for this race by V8 Supercar team
8:
457:
452:
257:
237:
233:
34:
based businessman and long time motor racing sponsor of childhood friend and multiple
398:
333:
151:
103:
313:
249:
466:
337:
265:
175:
143:
39:
325:
293:
269:
229:
183:
123:
320:
289:
253:
245:
210:
202:
159:
309:
304:
cars now the top class. Additionally 2000 saw the establishment of the
277:
273:
155:
127:
20:
147:
139:
24:
296:
joining the group of established
Porsche teams and the creation of
31:
394:
377:
305:
301:
138:. The front wheel drive format saw competitor numbers rebound as
86:
174:
cars in 1994, Procar, along with the Australian Porsche Cup and
93:
The company also organised several endurances races including:
162:
saw a wish to create a series for these cars which became the
178:
was able to provide an instant group of support categories.
167:
118:
Procar was the name of the organisational body running the
272:. A sixth class was introduced for small sports cars like
401:
race in 2011, reviving memories of the Bathurst 24 Hour.
308:
for utility mini-trucks based on the V8 versions of the
260:
arrived along with professional drivers like Richards,
439:
Retrieved from www.motorsport.com on 14 December 2009
319:
By 2001 the Procar categories were now racing on the
146:
teams fought along with a factory supported team of
393:) the GT Championship is now growing. GT's (run to
464:
432:
430:
30:Procar was founded in 1994 by Ross Palmer, a
23:category management company which operated in
427:
374:Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships
372:and is one of the leading categories of the
282:1999 Poolrite GTP Bathurst Showroom Showdown
232:split from the rally style cars such as the
164:1994 Australian Super Production Car Series
349:Australian GT Performance Car Championship
75:Australian GT Performance Car Championship
420:Crunch time for the series that add spice
397:rules) took over the grid of the revived
226:Australian GT Production Car Championship
63:Australian GT Production Car Championship
213:driver Milton Leslight winning Class C.
209:driver Chris Sexton winning class B and
366:Australian Performance Car Championship
186:, won the Super Production Car Series.
465:
370:Australian Production Car Championship
353:Australian Production Car Championship
218:Australian Production Car Championship
191:Australian Super Production Car Series
120:Australian Production Car Championship
81:Australian Production Car Championship
458:www.procar.com.au at web.archive.org
453:www.gtprod.com.au at web.archive.org
391:Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia
286:Australian Nations Cup Championship
222:Australian GT Production Car Series
195:Australian GT Production Car Series
69:Australian Nations Cup Championship
57:Australian GT Production Car Series
13:
437:PROCAR Australia ceases operations
351:. The remaining teams revived the
170:Australia to run a new series for
51:Australian Super Production Series
14:
489:
446:
98:Bathurst 3 Hour Showroom Showdown
224:merged into a single five class
36:Australian Touring Car Champion
411:
134:after a very poorly supported
1:
404:
7:
10:
494:
424:Retrieved on 15 April 2015
387:Australian GT Championship
113:
359:
332:races. While popular the
189:The 1995 season saw the
478:Motorsport in Australia
342:Garry Rogers Motorsport
142:and a large number of
298:Prancing Horse Racing
280:. An accident at the
150:. The success of the
330:Nurburgring 24 Hours
385:oldest titles, the
27:from 1994 to 2004.
258:Chevrolet Corvette
238:Cameron McConville
234:Subaru Impreza WRX
205:won Class A with
485:
473:Procar Australia
440:
434:
425:
422:, www.smh.com.au
415:
399:Bathurst 12 Hour
334:Bathurst 24 Hour
306:V8 BRutes Series
292:team fronted by
152:Bathurst 12 Hour
104:Bathurst 24 Hour
87:V8 BRutes Series
17:Procar Australia
493:
492:
488:
487:
486:
484:
483:
482:
463:
462:
449:
444:
443:
435:
428:
416:
412:
407:
362:
314:Ford Falcon Ute
250:Maserati Ghibli
116:
12:
11:
5:
491:
481:
480:
475:
461:
460:
455:
448:
447:External links
445:
442:
441:
426:
409:
408:
406:
403:
361:
358:
338:Holden Monaros
115:
112:
108:
107:
101:
91:
90:
84:
78:
72:
66:
60:
54:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
490:
479:
476:
474:
471:
470:
468:
459:
456:
454:
451:
450:
438:
433:
431:
423:
421:
418:Peter McKay,
414:
410:
402:
400:
396:
392:
388:
384:
379:
375:
371:
367:
357:
354:
350:
345:
343:
339:
335:
331:
327:
322:
317:
315:
311:
307:
303:
299:
295:
291:
287:
283:
279:
275:
271:
267:
266:Neil Crompton
263:
259:
255:
251:
247:
242:
239:
235:
231:
227:
223:
219:
216:1996 saw the
214:
212:
208:
204:
200:
196:
192:
187:
185:
181:
177:
176:Commodore Cup
173:
172:Super Touring
169:
165:
161:
157:
153:
149:
145:
144:Nissan Pulsar
141:
137:
133:
129:
125:
124:Toyota Supras
121:
111:
105:
102:
99:
96:
95:
94:
88:
85:
82:
79:
76:
73:
70:
67:
64:
61:
58:
55:
52:
49:
48:
47:
45:
41:
40:Bathurst 1000
37:
33:
28:
26:
22:
18:
419:
413:
363:
346:
318:
294:Paul Stokell
270:Paul Stokell
243:
230:Ferrari F355
225:
215:
199:Jim Richards
188:
184:Lotus Esprit
182:, driving a
117:
109:
106:2002 to 2003
100:1997 to 2001
92:
89:2001 to 2004
83:2003 to 2004
77:2003 to 2004
71:2000 to 2004
65:1996 to 2002
44:Dick Johnson
29:
16:
15:
321:V8 Supercar
290:Lamborghini
254:Lotus Elise
246:Dodge Viper
211:Peugeot 405
207:Ford Falcon
203:Porsche 993
193:renamed to
160:Porsche 968
136:1993 season
128:Mazda RX-7s
467:Categories
405:References
310:Holden Ute
278:Mazda MX-5
274:Toyota MR2
180:Brad Jones
156:Mazda RX-7
148:Volvo 850s
140:Mazda 626s
21:motorsport
262:John Bowe
25:Australia
220:and the
32:Brisbane
395:FIA GT3
378:V8 Utes
302:HSV GTS
114:History
42:winner
360:Legacy
19:was a
201:in a
383:CAMS
328:and
312:and
276:and
268:and
256:and
168:TOCA
158:and
132:1994
126:and
59:1995
53:1994
38:and
326:Spa
469::
429:^
344:.
264:,
252:,
248:,
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.