Surfers Paradise International Raceway was a motor racing complex at Gold Coast

Gold Coast, Queensland

Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...

, Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. The circuit was designed and built by Keith Williams, a motor racing enthusiast. It was located opposite the Surfers Paradise Ski Gardens at Carrara. The complex included a drag strip

Drag strip

Drag strip may refer to:*Dragstrip, track used for drag racing*Drag Strip , Transformer character who is one of the Stunticons*Videocart-9: Drag Strip, drag racing videogame released in 1976-See also:*Dover Drag Strip...

 along the main straight, with a very fast right-hander under a Dunlop Bridge

Dunlop Bridge

The Dunlop Bridge is a footbridge situated at a number of racing circuits.The bridge is considered to be one of the most significant landmarks in a motorsport venue particularly the Circuit de la Sarthe and Donington Park., although the latter was removed during renovations for the failed attempt...

 leading to a tight corner that turned the track back to a medium-length straight. Then a fast-ish left hander before rushing into a series of rights and lefts that skirted the only hill on the property. A slow right that opened up brought the track back to the main straight. Within the circuit lay an airstrip and quarter-mile dirt speedway similar to the one that used to sit within the lower part of the Amaroo Park circuit

Amaroo Park

Amaroo Park was a motor racing circuit located in Annangrove, New South Wales, in the present-day western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. It opened in 1967, hosting its first motorcycle meeting on 26 February with a 30 lap production race won by Larry Simons on a BSA Spitfire in heavy rain. The...

. Drag racing

Drag racing

Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....

 commenced at Easter

Easter

Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...

 in 1966. Keith Williams sold the raceway in 1984. After years of neglect it was finally destroyed in 2003. The site has since been redeveloped as Emerald Lakes canal estate.

Tasman Series

With Lakeside

Lakeside International Raceway

Lakeside Park, formerly known as Lakeside International Raceway is a motor racing circuit located at Pine Rivers north of Brisbane and lies adjacent to Lake Kurwongbah....

 well established as a Queensland's round of the Tasman Series

Tasman Series

The Tasman Series was a motor racing series held from 1964 to 1975, in Australia and New Zealand, and named after the Tasman Sea between the two countries...

 it was not until 1968

1968 Tasman Series

The 1968 Tasman Series was the fifth Tasman Series season. It began on 6 January 1968 and ended on 4 March after eight races. It was won by Jim Clark, driving a Lotus 49T.-Races:- Standings :All scores from points-scoring races were counted...

 that the series visited Surfers Paradise. As typified the 1968 series Jim Clark

Jim Clark

James "Jim" Clark, Jr OBE was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965....

 (Lotus 49T

Lotus 49

The Lotus 49 was a Formula One racing car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe for the 1967 F1 season. It was designed around the Cosworth DFV engine that would power most of the Formula One grid through the 1970s and was the first successful Formula One car to feature the engine as a...

) and Chris Amon

Chris Amon

Christopher Arthur Amon MBE is a former motor racing driver. He was active in Formula One - racing in the 1960s and 1970s - and is widely regarded to be one of the best F1 drivers never to win a championship Grand Prix...

 (Ferrari 246

Ferrari 312

The Ferrari 312 was a racing car used in Formula One from 1966 to 1969, designed by Mauro Forghieri.For the 1966 Formula One season, there was a change in the technical regulations, now allowing 3000 cm³ engines...

) filled the top two positions with Clark's team mate Graham Hill

Graham Hill

Norman Graham Hill was a British racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion. He is the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport — the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500 and Formula One World Championship.Graham Hill and his son Damon are the only father and son pair both to...

 completing the podium. Formula 5000 Tasman Series rounds were also held at the circuit each year from 1970 to 1975.

Australian Grand Prix

The Australian Grand Prix visited just once, in 1975

1975 Australian Grand Prix

The 1975 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula 5000 race held on a very wet track at the Surfers Paradise International Raceway and was held on 31 August....

. In torrential rain Max Stewart

Max Stewart

Malcolm Clarke Stewart was an Australian racecar driver....

 took his Lola T400 Formula 5000

Formula 5000

Formula 5000 was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars that no longer fit into any particular formula...

 to victory from John Leffler

John Leffler

John Leffler is a former Australian racing driver. Leffler is best known for driving open-wheelers and winning the Australian Drivers' Championship in 1976.Leffler drove Morris Coopers for many years in the 1960s...

, who was second on a day when the F5000's were badly out-handled by Ray Winter driving his AF2 Brabham-based Mildren-Ford.

Australian Touring Car Championship

The circuit hosted rounds of the Australian Touring Car Championship

Australian Touring Car Championship

The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The...

 from 1969 to 1987.

Endurance races

Numerous endurance races were staged at the circuit, most notably the Rothmans 12 Hour events. generated with :de:Wikipedia:Helferlein/VBA-Macro for EXCEL tableconversion V1.7<\hiddentext>>

Event	Winning Drivers	Winning Car	Date	Category
1966 Rothmans 12 Hour International Sports Car Race 1966 Rothmans 12 Hour International Sports Car Race The 1966 Rothmans 12 Hour International Sports Car Race was an endurance motor race for Sports Racing Cars, Improved Production Cars and Series Production Cars...	Jackie Stewart Jackie Stewart Sir John Young Stewart, OBE , better known as Jackie Stewart, and nicknamed The Flying Scotsman, is a Scottish former racing driver and team owner. He competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships. He also competed in Can-Am... , Andrew Buchanan	Ferrari 250LM	21 August 1966	Group A Sports Cars Group A Sports Cars Group A Sports Cars is an Australian motor racing category that CAMS formulated for sports car racing in Australia. Introduced in 1964, it continues today under the name Group 2A Sports Cars....
1967 Surfers Paradise Four Hour 1967 Surfers Paradise Four Hour The 1967 Surfers Paradise Four Hour was an endurance race for production cars held at the Surfers Paradise International Raceway in Queensland, Australia on 9 April 1967.-Class structure:...	Kevin Bartlett Kevin Bartlett (race driver) Kevin Bartlett , often known by his nickname "KB", is an Australian former open wheel and touring car racing driver who won the CAMS Gold Star in 1968 and 1969, as well as the prestigious Bathurst 1000. Bartlett was named in Wheels magazine's annual yearbook in 2004 as one of Australia's 50... , Doug Chivas Doug Chivas Doug Chivas was an Australian rally and racing car driver. Chivas drove the first Lotus Mark 6 in Australia in the early 1950s winning many races....	Alfa Romeo Giulia Alfa Romeo Giulia The Alfa Romeo Giulia is an Alfa Romeo automobile. Alfa was one of the first manufacturers to put a powerful engine in a light-weight car for mainstream production. The Giulia weighed about . The car was equipped with a light alloy twin overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine, similar to that of...  Super	9 April 1967	Production cars
1967 Rothmans 12 Hour 1967 Rothmans 12 Hour The 1967 Rothmans 12 Hour was an endurance race for Sports Racing Cars & Improved Production Cars.The event was staged at the Surfers Paradise International Raceway in Queensland, Australia on 3 September 1967.-Class Structure:...	Bill Brown, Greg Cusack	Ferrari 250LM	3 September 1967	Group A Sports Cars Group A Sports Cars Group A Sports Cars is an Australian motor racing category that CAMS formulated for sports car racing in Australia. Introduced in 1964, it continues today under the name Group 2A Sports Cars....
1968 Surfers Paradise 4 Hour 1968 Surfers Paradise 4 Hour The 1968 Surfers Paradise 4 Hour was an endurance race for production cars. The event was held at the Surfers Paradise International Raceway in Queensland, Australia on 9 June 1968...	John French John French (racing driver) John French is a retired Australian racing driver.French had a long career throughout the 60s and 70s and the early 80s. He won the 1962 Australian GT Championship driving a Centaur-Waggott and in 1969 French paired with Allan Moffat to win the Sandown Three Hour race in a Ford Falcon GTHO...	Alfa Romeo GTV Alfa Romeo Sprint GT (Veloce) The Alfa Romeo 105/115 series Coupés were a range of cars made by the Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo from 1963 until 1977. They were the successors to the celebrated Giulietta Sprint coupé and used a shortened floorpan from the Giulia Berlina car....	9 June 1968	Production cars
1968 Surfers Paradise 6 Hour 1968 Surfers Paradise 6 Hour The 1968 Surfers Paradise 6 Hour was an endurance race for sports cars and touring cars, staged at the Surfers Paradise International Raceway in Queensland, Australia on 1 September 1968....	Leo Geoghegan Leo Geoghegan Leo Geoghegan is a retired Australian racing driver.Geoghegan is the elder of two sons of New South Wales car dealer Tom Geoghegan, who went on to become two of the dominant names in Australian motor racing in the 1960s... , Ian Geoghegan Ian Geoghegan Ian "Pete" Geoghegan, was an Australian race car driver, known for a quick wit and natural driving skills. Geoghegan was one of the iconic characters of the 1960s and 1970s Australian motor racing scene...	Ferrari 250LM	1 August 1968	Group A Sports Cars Group A Sports Cars Group A Sports Cars is an Australian motor racing category that CAMS formulated for sports car racing in Australia. Introduced in 1964, it continues today under the name Group 2A Sports Cars....
1969 Rothmans 12 Hour Classic 1969 Rothmans 12 Hour Classic The 1969 Rothmans 12 Hour Classic was an endurance motor race for production cars held at the Surfers Paradise International Raceway in Queensland, Australia on 5 January 1969...	Bill Gates, John Bertram	Ford XT Falcon GT Ford XT Falcon -Introduction:The XT Falcon range was introduced in March 1968 as a facelifted version of the XR Falcon, which it replaced. The XT featured a revised grille and taillights and improved safety features including split-system brakes, larger tyres and electrically operated windscreen washers.Standard...	5 January 1969	Production cars
1969 Chevron Paradise 6 Hour 1969 Chevron Paradise 6 Hour The 1969 Chevron Paradise 6 Hour was an endurance race for Sports Cars and Touring Cars.The event was held at the Surfers Paradise circuit in Queensland, Australia on 2 November 1969.Entries were divided into the following classes:* Sports Racing over 2000cc...	Kunimitsu Takahashi Kunimitsu Takahashi is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and racing driver from Japan who is also considered as the "father of drifting". He was the chairman of the GT-Association, the organizers of the Super GT series, from 1993 to 2007.-Motorcycle racing:... , Yoshikayo Sunago	Datsun R380 Mk. 2 Prince R380 The Prince R380 was a racing car built in 1965 by Prince Motor Company to compete in the Japanese Grand Prix. Following the merger of Prince Motor Company and Nissan Motors in 1966, the R380 was modified into the Nissan R380-II .-Development:In 1964, Prince had entered their new S54 Skyline GTs in...	2 November 1969	Group A Sports Cars Group A Sports Cars Group A Sports Cars is an Australian motor racing category that CAMS formulated for sports car racing in Australia. Introduced in 1964, it continues today under the name Group 2A Sports Cars....
1970 Rothmans 12 Hour 1970 Rothmans 12 Hour The 1970 Rothmans 12 Hour was an endurance motor race for Series Production Touring Cars. The event was held at the Surfers Paradise International Raceway in Queensland, Australia on 4 January 1970 with the field divided into four classes determined by the retail price of the...	Colin Bond Colin Bond Colin John Bond is a retired Australian racing driver. Bond reached the highest levels in Australian motorsport in 1969 when he was recruited by Harry Firth to the newly formed Holden Dealer Team... , Tony Roberts Tony Roberts (racing driver) Anthony Roberts, , was an Australian race and rally driver.Roberts won the 1968 Sandown 3 Hours with Bob Watson, giving the Holden Monaro a debut victory...	Holden HT Monaro GTS 350	4 January 1970	Production cars
1970 Rothmans 250 Production Classic 1970 Rothmans 250 Production Classic The 1970 Rothmans 250 Production Classic was an endurance motor race for Series Production Touring Cars staged at the Surfers Paradise International Raceway in Queensland, Australia on 1 November 1970....	Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Allan George Moffat, OBE is an Australian racing driver known for his four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and his four wins in the Bathurst 1000...	Ford XW Falcon GT-HO Phase II Ford XW Falcon -Introduction:The XW Falcon was released in June 1969 replacing the XT Falcon. The XW was an extensive facelift of the XT, featuring a new grille and tail lights...	1 November 1970	Production cars
1971 Rothmans 250	Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Allan George Moffat, OBE is an Australian racing driver known for his four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and his four wins in the Bathurst 1000...	Ford XY Falcon GT-HO Phase III	7 November 1971	Group E Series Production Touring Cars Group E Series Production Touring Cars Group E Series Production Touring Cars was an Australian motor racing category for production based sedans competing with limited modifications. It was current from 1964 to 1972....
1972 Chesterfield 300	Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Allan George Moffat, OBE is an Australian racing driver known for his four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and his four wins in the Bathurst 1000...	Ford XY Falcon GT-HO Phase III	26 November 1972	Group E Series Production Touring Cars Group E Series Production Touring Cars Group E Series Production Touring Cars was an Australian motor racing category for production based sedans competing with limited modifications. It was current from 1964 to 1972....
1973 Chesterfield 300	Peter Brock Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other...	Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1	12 November 1973	Group C Touring Cars Group C (Australia) In relation to Australian motorsport, Group C refers to either of two sets of regulations devised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport for use in Australian touring car racing from 1965 to 1984...
1974 Chesterfield 300	Colin Bond Colin Bond Colin John Bond is a retired Australian racing driver. Bond reached the highest levels in Australian motorsport in 1969 when he was recruited by Harry Firth to the newly formed Holden Dealer Team...	Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34	10 November 1974	Group C Touring Cars Group C (Australia) In relation to Australian motorsport, Group C refers to either of two sets of regulations devised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport for use in Australian touring car racing from 1965 to 1984...
1975 Rothmans 300	Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Allan George Moffat, OBE is an Australian racing driver known for his four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and his four wins in the Bathurst 1000...	Ford XB Falcon GT Ford XB Falcon The Ford XB Falcon is a car which was produced by Ford Australia between 1973 and 1976 and was built exclusively in Australia. It bore minor cosmetic differences to the preceding model, the XA, aimed at giving the car a more muscular stance...	9 November 1975	Group C Touring Cars Group C (Australia) In relation to Australian motorsport, Group C refers to either of two sets of regulations devised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport for use in Australian touring car racing from 1965 to 1984...
1976 Rothmans 300	Peter Brock Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other...	Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34	7 November 1976	Group C Touring Cars Group C (Australia) In relation to Australian motorsport, Group C refers to either of two sets of regulations devised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport for use in Australian touring car racing from 1965 to 1984...
1977 Rothmans 300	Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Allan George Moffat, OBE is an Australian racing driver known for his four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and his four wins in the Bathurst 1000...	Ford XC Falcon 500GS Ford XC Falcon The Ford XC Falcon is a car which was produced by Ford Australia between 1976 and 1979. It was a facelift of the XB Falcon, itself an upgrade of the XA Falcon which had entered production in 1972...	6 November 1977	Group C Touring Cars Group C (Australia) In relation to Australian motorsport, Group C refers to either of two sets of regulations devised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport for use in Australian touring car racing from 1965 to 1984...
1978 Rothmans 300	Peter Brock Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other...	Holden LX Torana SS A9X	5 November 1978	Group C Touring Cars Group C (Australia) In relation to Australian motorsport, Group C refers to either of two sets of regulations devised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport for use in Australian touring car racing from 1965 to 1984...
1979 Rothmans 300	Charlie O'Brien Charlie O'Brien (racing driver) This article is about the Australian racing driver. For other people, see Charles O'Brien.Charles Lindsay O'Brien is a former Australian race car driver. From 1976 to 2003, he held the record for being the youngest winner of an Australian Touring Car Championship round.-Career results:-References:...	Holden LX Torana SLR 5000 A9X	4 November 1979	Group C Touring Cars Group C (Australia) In relation to Australian motorsport, Group C refers to either of two sets of regulations devised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport for use in Australian touring car racing from 1965 to 1984...
1980 Compact Tennis 400	Charlie O'Brien Charlie O'Brien (racing driver) This article is about the Australian racing driver. For other people, see Charles O'Brien.Charles Lindsay O'Brien is a former Australian race car driver. From 1976 to 2003, he held the record for being the youngest winner of an Australian Touring Car Championship round.-Career results:-References:...	Holden VC Commodore	2 November 1980	Group C Touring Cars Group C (Australia) In relation to Australian motorsport, Group C refers to either of two sets of regulations devised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport for use in Australian touring car racing from 1965 to 1984...
1981 Surfers Paradise International Resort 300	Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Allan George Moffat, OBE is an Australian racing driver known for his four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and his four wins in the Bathurst 1000...	Mazda RX-7 Mazda RX-7 Series 1 is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."In 1980...	1 November 1981	Group C Touring Cars Group C (Australia) In relation to Australian motorsport, Group C refers to either of two sets of regulations devised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport for use in Australian touring car racing from 1965 to 1984...
1982 Gold Coast 300	Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Allan George Moffat, OBE is an Australian racing driver known for his four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and his four wins in the Bathurst 1000...	Mazda RX-7 Mazda RX-7 Series 1 is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."In 1980...	7 November 1982	Group C Touring Cars Group C (Australia) In relation to Australian motorsport, Group C refers to either of two sets of regulations devised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport for use in Australian touring car racing from 1965 to 1984...
1983 Gold Coast 300	Allan Grice Allan Grice Allan Maxwell Grice OAM , known to motor-racing fans as Gricey, is an Australian former racing driver and politician, most famous for twice winning the prestigious Bathurst 1000 , and as a privateer driver of a Holden in the Australian Touring Car Championship.Grice also had a successful second...	Holden VH Commodore Holden VH Commodore The Holden VH Commodore, an evolution of the previous Holden Commodore VC model, was released in October 1981. The frontal appearance was mildly facelifted with a new horizontal-slat grille and new lighting components designed to give a lower, wider look, and for interest of aerodynamics...	30 October 1983	Group C Touring Cars Group C (Australia) In relation to Australian motorsport, Group C refers to either of two sets of regulations devised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport for use in Australian touring car racing from 1965 to 1984...
1984 Motorcraft 300	Peter Brock Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other...	Holden VK Commodore Holden VK Commodore The Holden VK Commodore was introduced in 1984 and replaced the VH. It was the first Commodore to have plastic bumpers and introduced rear quarter windows for a six-window design as opposed to the four-window design on previous Commodore models...	4 November 1984	Group C Touring Cars Group C (Australia) In relation to Australian motorsport, Group C refers to either of two sets of regulations devised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport for use in Australian touring car racing from 1965 to 1984...
1985 Motorcraft 300	Jim Richards Jim Richards (race driver) Jim Richards is a New Zealand racing driver who has spent most of his racing life in Australia. While retired from professional racing, Richards continues to compete in the historic category Touring Car Masters while running a team in the Australian GT Championship...	BMW 635CSi BMW E24 The BMW E24 series was the first BMW 6 Series coupé, produced by the German automaker BMW between the 1976 and 1989 model years. The 6 Series name reappeared with the BMW E63 chassis beginning in the 2004 model year. The E24 borrowed heavily from contemporary 5-series cars .- Model history :The...	27 October 1985	"Group A" Touring Cars Group A In relation to motorsport governed by the FIA, Group A referred to a set of regulations providing production-derived vehicles for outright competition. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, the Group A referred to production-derived vehicles limited in terms of power, weight, allowed...
1986 BP Plus 300	George Fury, Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Glenn Seton is an Australian racing driver.Seton, father of Courtney and Aaron Seton and husband to Jayne Seton, retired from full time racing after the 2005 V8 Supercar season, and is only one of five drivers to have competed in over 200 rounds in the series. The other drivers are Dick Johnson ,...	Nissan R30 Skyline RS	24 August 1986	"Group A" Touring Cars Group A In relation to motorsport governed by the FIA, Group A referred to a set of regulations providing production-derived vehicles for outright competition. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, the Group A referred to production-derived vehicles limited in terms of power, weight, allowed...