Wakefield Park

For the closed motor racing circuit in South Australia, see Port Wakefield Circuit.

Wakefield Park Raceway

Aerial view from a flight from Canberra to Sydney
Location	Goulburn, New South Wales
Time zone	UTC+10:00 (UTC+11:00 DST)
Coordinates	34°50′26″S 149°41′7″E
Owner	Benalla Auto Club
Opened	May 1994
Closed	August 2022
Major events	Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships
Length	2.200 km (1.367 miles)
Turns	10
Race lap record	0:53.7711 (Ricky Capo, Dallara F307, 2015, F3)

File:Wakefield-MINI-CHALLENGE-2008.jpg

Race 3 gets underway during Round 2 of the 2008 Mini Challenge.

View from a Race Car at Wakefield Park

Wakefield Park Short Film

Wakefield Park Raceway was a 2.200 km (1.367 mi) motor racing circuit located near Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. It is named after Charles Wakefield, the founder of Castrol. The founders of Wakefield Park, John Carter and amateur racer and former motor dealer, Paul Samuels felt that Castrol had been so influential in helping amateurs go motor racing that CC Wakefield should be honoured, especially as Samuels' and Carter's’ circuit was intended for amateur racers in the likelihood in the 1990s of both Amaroo and Oran Park Raceways closing and amateur racers being unable to afford the daily hire rate at Eastern Creek Raceway.

The local arm of Castrol appreciated this and committed to a three-year sum for sponsorship. Consequently, all the buildings, which were all designed by Samuels and Carter, were in Castrol colours, an appropriate but subtle recognition of the Company's involvement. However it was then decided that Castrol was not getting any appreciable value from the modest sponsorship, so it stopped.

History

It was the first privately funded circuit built in NSW in the last 35 years and, says Samuels, "when confronting neighbours and the EPA, I can see why". It took them more than a year, despite the help of Goulburn Council and the local member John Fahey, to find a place that finally gained all the necessary approvals. However it took less than eight months from turning the first sod in mid-October 1993 to its first meeting on 8 May 1994. The total cost of the land and work was $1.2 mill.

Goulburn was chosen as it was close to Canberra, the large population areas of the near south coast around Wollongong, was not too far from Sydney and a three-hour easier journey for Victorians than if it had been close to Sydney.

The road racing circuit has hosted the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, the Australian Superbike Championship, the Australian Motor Racing Series, drifting, as well as state and club level racing, also Speed off the Streets and motorcycle ride days.

Wakefield Park operates under a CAMS National Circuit Licence, AASA and also under the Department of Sport and Recreation permit scheme.

The circuit is located two hours drive from Sydney and about one hour from Canberra, and is positioned on Braidwood Road, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of Goulburn on 130 acres (0.53 km²) of cleared land. There are no trees or natural obstacles near the track. Safety is paramount and ripple strips, tyre walls and gravel traps have been positioned so as to make Wakefield a very safe circuit on which to run any type of racecar, production car or motorcycle. The track was resurfaced by its new owners, Winton Motor Raceway, in late 2007.

The track is open to the public providing three circuits licensed by the NSW Department of Sport and Recreation, CAMS, and Motorcycling NSW Inc and Australian Karting Association Inc. Commercial "thrill rides" operate there.

There is also a hill climb and short variations of the circuit.

Wakefield Park is the title of a 2010 short film with Michael Fitzgerald which was filmed at the circuit.

Having had the number of days on which it operate cut to 30 days per annum after a lengthy legal battle, the circuit closed in August 2022.

Lap records

As of October 2018.

Class	Driver	Vehicle	Time	Date
Outright
	Brad Shiels	Tilton Mitsubishi Evo	0:53.0600	25 July 2020
Racing Cars
Formula 3	Ricky Capo	Dallara F307 Mercedes-Benz	0:53.7711	17 October 2015
Formula Race Cars	Nathan Gotch	Dallara F307	0:56.3360	6 March 2016
Formula 4000/OzBoss	Ty Hanger	Reynard 95D Holden	0:57.5504	25 February 2007
Formula Ford	Paul Laskazeski	Spectrum 011 Ford	1:00.1986	6 April 2008
Formula Vee	Michael Kinsella	Jacer F2K10	1:07.0951	12 April 2015
Sports Cars
Sports Sedans	Jack Perkins	Audi A4-Chevrolet	0:56.2669	18 October 2015
Nations Cup	John Bowe	Ferrari 360 N-GT	0:59.9060	1 June 2003
Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge	Roger Lago	Porsche 911 GT3	1:00.7828	3 April 2011
GT	Greg Crick	Dodge Viper GTS	1:01.5344	5 March 2006
Aussie Racing Cars	Ben McCashney	Falcon-Yamaha	1:05.6777	5 April 2008
Touring Cars
Dunlop V8 Supercar	Steve Owen	Holden VZ Commodore	0:59.0351	6 April 2008
V8 Touring Cars	Terry Wyhoon	Ford BA Falcon	1:00.3279	3 April 2011
Super Touring	Paul Morris	BMW 320i	1:02.1715	29 October 2000
Improved Production Over 2 Litre	David Loftus	Toyota Starlet	1:04.7700	12 August 2012
Improved Production Under 2 Litre	Jordan Cox	Honda Civic	1:05.1999	12 April 2015
Commodore Cup	Geoff Emery	Holden VS Commodore	1:06.6504	3 April 2011
V8 Utes	Kerry Wade	Ford BF Falcon XR8	1:09.6544	28 May 2006
24 Hours of LeMons	John Bermingham	BWM 328i E36	1:12.6500	27 Oct 2018
Historic Touring Cars
Group A	Craig Markland	Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R	1:07.0363	1 April 2007
Group N	Ross Donnelley	Ford Mustang	1:11.6300	20 February 2000
HQ Holden	Kevin Stoopman	HQ Holden	1:15.4440	21 June 2015

External links

• Wakefield Park Raceway
• Lap of Wakefield Park in MINI Cooper S
• Wakefield Park at IMDb