1997 Australian Drivers' Championship
| Company type | Motor racing series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motorsport |
| Founded | 1997 |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Jason Bright (champion) |
| Products | Formula Holden racing competition |
The 1997 Australian Drivers' Championship represented a motor racing series for competitors piloting vehicles built to meet CAMS Formula Holden specifications. The champion was awarded the 1997 CAMS Gold Star, officially recognized as the Australian Drivers' Champion. This edition marked the 41st occurrence of the championship and the ninth time it featured the Formula Holden class, which had been established since 1988. The championship unfolded over seven rounds, beginning on 15 March at Calder Park Raceway and concluding on 3 August at Oran Park Raceway, with promotion under the title "Holden Australian Drivers Championship".
In his sophomore Formula Holden campaign and serving as Birrana Racing’s lead driver, Jason Bright dominated by winning eight out of fourteen races. He clinched the title by the sixth round, opting to forgo participation in the final event. Finishing second was Jason Bargwanna from SH Racing, trailing Bright by 13 points and accumulating 40 points through two victories at Oran Park during Bright's absence. The only other driver to secure a race win was Mark Noske, who competed in a Lola and showed strong form early on before experiencing difficulties mid-season at Winton and Eastern Creek. These setbacks opened the door for New Zealand’s young talent Scott Dixon, driving a Reynard prepared by Ralt Australia, to claim third place overall.
Drivers
The following list details the drivers who took part in the 1997 Australian Drivers' Championship:
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Note: According to Formula Holden rules, all vehicles were powered by a 3.8 litre Holden V6 engine.
Race schedule
The 1997 Australian Drivers' Championship consisted of seven rounds held in three different states, with each round comprising two separate races.
| Rd. | Circuit | Location, State | Date | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calder Park Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | 15 March | Jason Bright |
| 2 | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | Phillip Island, Victoria | 13 April | Jason Bright |
| 3 | Sandown Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | 27 April | Jason Bright |
| 4 | Winton Motor Raceway | Benalla, Victoria | 18 May | Jason Bargwanna |
| 5 | Eastern Creek Raceway | Sydney, New South Wales | 25 May | Jason Bright |
| 6 | Mallala Motor Sport Park | Mallala, South Australia | 13 July | Mark Noske |
| 7 | Oran Park Raceway | Sydney, New South Wales | 3 August | Jason Bargwanna |
Scoring system
Points were distributed to the leading ten finishers in each race according to the scale: 20 for first place, followed by 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, and finally 1 point for tenth position.
Final championship standings
| Pos | Driver | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Points | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Bright | 1st |style="background:#dfffdf;"|(5th) | 1st |style="background:#ffffbf;"| 1st | 1st |style="background:#ffffbf;"| 1st | 3rd |style="background:#dfdfdf;"| 2nd | 1st |style="background:#ffffbf;"| 1st | Ret |style="background:#ffffbf;"| 1st |
align="right"| 187 | ||||||||
| 2 | Jason Bargwanna | 3rd |style="background:#ffffff;"|(DNS) | 2nd |style="background:#dfdfdf;"| 2nd | 2nd |style="background:#ffffff;"|(DNS) | 1st |style="background:#ffffbf;"| 1st | 2nd |style="background:#dfdfdf;"| 2nd | Ret |style="background:#dfdfdf;"| 2nd |
align="right"| 182 | ||||||||
Note: The second race at Calder was officially declared a No Race and therefore no points were allocated.