The 2004 Australian Drivers' Championship was an Australian motor racing competition open to Formula 4000 cars.[1] It was the 48th Australian Drivers' Championship[2] and the sixteen and last to be contested by Formula Holden / Formula Brabham / Formula 4000 cars. The championship winner was awarded the 2004 CAMS Gold Star[1] and the Silver Star Trophy was awarded to the winner of the "Silver Star" class which was restricted to approved competitors.[1]
The championship, which was promoted as the 2004 Holden Australian Drivers' Championship,[1] was dominated by reigning Australian Formula Ford Champion Neil McFadyen. McFadyn won six of the eight races and took second place at each of the two Winton Motor Raceway races behind International Formula 3000 returnee Rob Nguyen. With only one race finish off the podium, but no wins, Ty Hanger was the runner up ahead of Nguyen.
Calendar
editThe championship was contested over a four-round series with two races per round.[3]
| Round | Circuit | Date | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | Winning team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R1 |  Mallala Motor Sport Park(Mallala, South Australia) |
9 May |  Neil McFadyen
|
Neil McFadyen
|
Neil McFadyen
|
Ralt Australia |
| R2 | Neil McFadyen
|
Neil McFadyen
|
Ralt Australia | ||||
| 2 | R1 |  Winton Motor Raceway(Benalla, Victoria) |
6 June | Rob Nguyen
|
Rob Nguyen
|
Rob Nguyen
|
Hocking Motorsport |
| R2 | Rob Nguyen
|
Rob Nguyen
|
Hocking Motorsport | ||||
| 3 | R1 |  Oran Park Raceway(Sydney, New South Wales) |
27 June | Neil McFadyen
|
Neil McFadyen
|
Neil McFadyen
|
Ralt Australia |
| R2 | Neil McFadyen
|
Neil McFadyen
|
Ralt Australia | ||||
| 4 | R1 | Eastern Creek International Raceway (Sydney, New South Wales) |
1 August | Neil McFadyen
|
Rob Nguyen
|
Neil McFadyen
|
Ralt Australia |
| R2 | Rob Nguyen
|
Neil McFadyen
|
Ralt Australia | ||||
The winner of each round (for presentation purposes only) was determined by the aggregation of Championship points awarded in that round.
Points system
editGold Start points were awarded on a 20–15–12–10–8–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the first ten outright finishers in each race.[1]
Silver Star points were awarded on a 20–15–12–10–8–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the first ten Silver Star class finishers in each race.[1]
Standings
edit| Position[3] | Driver[3] | No.[3][4] | Car[4] | Entrant[3][4] | Mallala | Winton | Oran Pk | Eastern Ck | Total[3] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | ||||||
| GOLD STAR | |||||||||||||
| 1 | Neil McFadyen | 11 | Reynard 96D Holden | Ralt Australia | 20 | 20 | 15 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 150 |
| 2 | Ty Hanger | 48 | Reynard 95D Holden | Hanger Racing | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 106 |
| 3 | Rob Nguyen | 74 | Reynard 97D Holden | Hocking Motorsport | - | - | 20 | 20 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 82 |
| 4 | Ian Peters | 24 | Reynard 91D Holden | Peters Racing | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 56 |
| 5 | Terry Clearihan | 27 | Reynard 92D Holden | NNS Racing | - | 3 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | - | 53 |
| 6 | Paul Trengove | 12 | Reynard 94D Holden | Ralt Australia | 15 | 15 | - | - | 12 | - | - | - | 42 |
| 7 | Mark West | 50 | Reynard 97D Holden Reynard 98D Holden |
Just Part Magazines | 8 | 6 | - | 6 | - | - | 6 | 8 | 34 |
| 8 | Ricky Occhipinti | 32 | Reynard 97D Holden | Formula Uno Racing | 12 | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 22 |
| 9 | Rohan Carrig | 49 | Reynard 92D Holden | Arlec CRD Motorsport | - | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | - | 3 | 21 |
| 10 | Stephen Borness | 17 | Reynard 96D Holden | Mantis Racing | - | - | - | - | 8 | - | 8 | - | 16 |
| 11 | Michael Joannou | 12 | Reynard 94D Holden Reynard 95D Holden |
Ralt Australia | - | - | 6 | 3 | - | - | - | 6 | 15 |
| 12 | Greg Fahey | 5 | Reynard 91D Holden | Fahey Motorsport | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 10 |
| 13 | Ray Hanger | 35 | Reynard 92D Holden | Hanger Racing | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 14 | Derek Pingel | 8 | Lola T87/50 Holden | WISC Racing | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 15 | Mark Ellis | 17 | Reynard-Holden | Mantis Racing | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| 16 | Ryan Campbell | 13 | Reynard-Holden | Pure Power Racing | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | 3 |
| Chris Farrell | 35 | Reynard 92D Holden | Hanger Racing | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | |
| 18 | Cristina Orr | 55 | Reynard 92D Holden | Pure Power Racing | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| SILVER STAR | |||||||||||||
| 1 | Ian Peters | 24 | Reynard 91D Holden | Peters Racing | 20 | 20 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 20 | 135 |
| 2 | Terry Clearihan | 27 | Reynard 92D Holden | NNS Racing | - | 12 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | - | 112 |
| 3 | Rohan Carrig | 49 | Reynard 92D Holden | Arlec CRD Motorsport | - | 15 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | - | 12 | 71 |
| 4 | Greg Fahey | 5 | Reynard 91D Holden | Fahey Motorsport | 15 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | - | - | - | 49 |
| 5 | Ray Hanger | 35 | Reynard 92D Holden | Hanger Racing | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
| 6 | Derek Pingel | 8 | Lola T87/50 Holden | WISC Racing | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 | 15 | 27 |
| 7 | Mark Ellis | 17 | Reynard-Holden | Mantis Racing | - | - | - | 12 | - | - | - | - | 12 |
| Ryan Campbell | 13 | Reynard-Holden | Pure Power Racing | - | - | - | - | 12 | - | - | - | 12 | |
| 9 | Chris Farrell | 35 | Reynard 92D Holden | Hanger Racing | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | 10 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f 2004 Holden Australian Drivers’ Championship Sporting Regulations, www.cams.com.au, as archived at web.archive.org
- ^ Australian Drivers’ Championship – CAMS Gold Star, docs.cams.com.au, as archived at web.archive.org
- ^ a b c d e f Points Standings - 2004 Holden Australian Drivers Championship, www.f4000.com, as archived at web.archive.org
- ^ a b c Sessions & Race Results, f4000.com, as archived at web.archive.org
Further reading
edit- Australian Title Conditions, CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, 2004
- Official Program, Mallala Power Surge 2004, Sunday 9 May