1996 Australian Drivers' Championship
| Company type | Motor racing series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motorsport |
| Founded | 1996 |
Area served | Australia |
| Products | Formula Holden racing competition |
The 1996 Australian Drivers' Championship was a motor racing series in Australia, featuring vehicles built to meet CAMS Formula Holden specifications. The winner earned the 1996 CAMS Gold Star, officially recognized as the Australian Drivers' Champion. This edition represented the 40th iteration of the championship and was the eighth season utilizing Formula Holden cars. The competition unfolded from 8 March at the Albert Park Street Circuit through to 2 June at Mallala Motor Sport Park, encompassing eight races spread over four rounds.
Paul Stokell clinched his third championship title in a season largely controlled by him and his Birrana Racing teammate, Jason Bright. Their dark blue Reynard 91D machines dominated, securing victory in every race except one. Early reliability problems hindered Bright’s campaign, ultimately preventing him from winning the championship. The only race not won by either driver occurred during race two of the 1996 Australian Grand Prix, where guest competitor and future European racer Mark Webber triumphed driving Graham Watson's Reynard after both Stokell and Bright retired. Consistently finishing as the top challenger was Darren Edwards, who achieved four podium finishes, while Stephen Cramp began strongly with three second-place results but eventually dropped to fifth overall behind Adam Kaplan.
Teams and drivers
The following competitors participated in the 1996 Australian Drivers' Championship.
| Driver | No | Car | Entrant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia Paul Stokell | 1 | Reynard 91D Holden | Birrana Racing |
| Australia Allan Galloway | 2 | Reynard 91D Holden | Allan Galloway |
| Australia Geoff Fickling | 3 | Reynard 90D Holden | Graham Watson |
| Australia Steven Johnson | 3 | Reynard 90D Holden | Graham Watson |
| Australia Graham Watson | 3 | Reynard 90D Holden | Graham Watson |
| New Zealand Bryan Hartley | 4 | Dome F102 Holden | Bryan Hartley |
| Australia Stan Keen | 5 | Shrike NB89H Holden | Stan Keen |
| New Zealand Graham Sims | 6 | Reynard 90D Holden | Graham Sims |
| Australia Adam Kaplan | 7 | Reynard 91D Holden | Adam Kaplan |
| Australia Dean Irwin | 8 | Ralt RT21 Holden | Dean Irwin |
| Australia Jason Bright | 9 | Reynard 91D Holden | Birrana Racing |
| Australia Darren Edwards | 10 | Reynard 90D Holden | Clem Smith |
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Race calendar
The schedule for the 1996 Australian Drivers' Championship comprised eight races held over four rounds across two states.[1]
| Rd/Race. | Circuit | Location / state | Date | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1/1 | Albert Park Circuit | Melbourne, Victoria | 8 March | Paul Stokell |
| R1/2 | 9 March | Mark Webber | ||
| R2/1 | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | Phillip Island, Victoria | 14 April | Paul Stokell |
| R2/2 | Paul Stokell | |||
| R3/1 | Calder Park Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | 28 April | Jason Bright |
| R3/2 | Jason Bright |
|- ! R4/1 ! rowspan=2 | Mallala Motor Sport Park ! rowspan=2 | Mallala, South Australia#Mallala, South Australia ! rowspan=2 | 2 June ! Paul Stokell |- ! R4/2 ! Jason Bright |}
Results
Points were distributed among the top ten finishers in each race according to the scale 20–15–12–10–8–6–4–3–2–1. However, Race 1 of Round 2 at Phillip Island granted only half the usual points.
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External links
- ↑ Five Way Fight, Official Programme, Mallala, 2 June 1996