1989 Australian Drivers' Championship
| Company type | Motor racing competition |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motorsport |
| Founded | 1989 |
Area served | Australia |
| Products | Australian Drivers' Championship title, CAMS Gold Star |
The 1989 Australian Drivers' Championship represented a national motor racing competition held in Australia, featuring vehicles constructed according to CAMS Formula Holden standards. The champion earned the prestigious 1989 CAMS Gold Star, designating them as the Australian Drivers' Champion. Marking its 33rd iteration, this championship was notable for being the inaugural series to include the recently developed Formula Holden class, which was initially introduced in 1988 under the name Formula Australia.
Commencing on 7 May at Mallala Motor Sport Park and concluding on 10 September at Sandown Raceway, the series consisted of ten rounds. Sydney-based Rohan Onslow, the defending titleholder, successfully claimed his second straight championship while piloting a Ralt RT20. Finishing as runner-up was Mark McLaughlin driving an Elfin FA891, with Neil Crompton—making his first appearance in open-wheel racing and also behind the wheel of a Ralt RT20—securing third place.
Teams and drivers
The competitors participating in the 1989 Australian Drivers' Championship included the following teams and drivers:
| Team | Car | No | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| R.J.Macarthur Onslow | Ralt RT20 | 1 | Australia Rohan Onslow |
| Tony Blanche | Ralt RT21 | 3 | Australia Tony Blanche |
| Competitive Edge | Ralt RT20 | 4 | Australia Roger Martin |
| Clive Kane Photography | Ralt RT21 | 5 | Australia Simon Kane |
| Elfin Sports Cars | Elfin FA891 | 6 | Australia Mark McLaughlin |
| Boylan Racing | Ralt RT20 | 7 | Australia Neil Crompton |
| Romano Racing | Spa FB001 | 8 | Australia Bap Romano |
| Cascone Corporation | Spa FB001 | 8 12 |
Australia Sam Astuti |
| Briggs Motor Sport | Ralt RT21 | 9 | Australia John Briggs |
| Ray Cutchie | Ralt RT4 | 11 | Australia Ray Cutchie |
| Brian Shead | Cheetah Racing Cars Mk.9 | 13 | Australia Peter Glover |
| TAFE Team Motorsport | Shrike (racing car) NB89H | 18 | Australia Arthur Abrahams Australia Ian Richards |
| 20 | Australia Peter Doulman Australia Mark Poole | ||
| David Mawer | Ralt RT21 | 27 | Australia Elwyn Bickley Australia John Smith |
| Brett Fisher | Liston BF3 | 50 | Australia Brett Fisher |
| Chris Hocking | 87B | 74 | Australia Chris Hocking Australia Rohan Onslow |
| John Hermann | Ralt RT4 | 88 | Australia John Herrman |
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Every vehicle was required by Formula Holden specifications to be powered by a 3.8 litre Holden V6 engine derived from the Buick V6 engine#3800 V6.
Race schedule
The 1989 Australian Drivers' Championship was contested over ten rounds held at five distinct race events.
| Rd. | Circuit | Location / state | Date | Winner | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mallala Motor Sport Park | Mallala, South Australia | 7 May | Mark McLaughlin | Elfin Sports Cars |
| 2 | Rohan Onslow | R.J.Macarthur Onslow | |||
| 3 | Winton Motor Raceway | Benalla, Victoria | 4 June | Rohan Onslow | R.J.Macarthur Onslow |
| 4 | John Briggs | John Briggs | |||
| 5 | Oran Park Raceway | Sydney, New South Wales | 9 July | Rohan Onslow | R.J.Macarthur Onslow |
| 6 | Rohan Onslow | R.J.Macarthur Onslow | |||
| 7 | Amaroo Park | Sydney, New South Wales | 6 August | Neil Crompton | Boylan Racing |
| 8 | Simon Kane | Clive Kane Photography | |||
| 9 | Sandown International Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | 10 September | Sam Astuti | Cascone Corporation |
| 10 | Neil Crompton | Boylan Racing |
Points allocation
Points for the championship were distributed to the top six finishers of each round on a scale of 9–6–4–3–2–1.
Championship standings
| Position | Driver | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Rd 8 | Rd 9 | Rd 10 | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rohan Onslow | 5th |style="background:#ffffbf;"|1st |style="background:#ffffbf;"|1st |style="background:#efcfff;"|Retired |style="background:#ffffbf;"|1st |style="background:#ffffbf;"|1st |style="background:#efcfff;"|Retired |style="background:#dfffdf;"|6th |style="background:#dfdfdf;"|2nd |style="background:#ffdf9f;"|3rd | 49 | ||||||||||
| 2 | Mark McLaughlin | 1st |style="background:#dfdfdf;"|2nd |style="background:#dfdfdf;"|2nd |style="background:#dfdfdf;"|2nd | style="background:#fff;"|Did Not Start |style="background:#ffdf9f;"|3rd |style="background:#dfdfdf;"|2nd |style="background:#ffdf9f;"|3rd |style="background:#efcfff;"|Retired |style="background:#efcfff;"|Retired | 41 | ||||||||||
| 3 | Neil Crompton | 3rd |style="background:#dfffdf;"|5th |style="background:#efcfff;"|Retired |style="background:#ffdf9f;"|3rd |style="background:#dfdfdf;"|2nd |style="background:#dfffdf;"|6th |style="background:#ffffbf;"|1st | style="background:#fff;"|Did Not Start |style="background:#ffdf9f;"|3rd |style="background:#ffffbf;"|1st | 39 |
Additional resources
- Australian Motor Racing Year 1989/90, Andrew Clarke and Barry Catford, Australian Motor Racing Yearbook, Chevron Publishing Group, 1990, pages 162–183
- Racing Car News, issues from June to November 1989, Chevron Publishing Group