Ruqayyah Snyder
Group D cars in Australia are a category of vehicles that have competed in various motorsport competitions in the country. The term has been used to refer to different groups of cars over time. From 1972 to 1981, Group D referred to production sports cars that participated in the Australian Sports Car Championship alongside Group A sports cars. In 1982, the Group D designation was applied to a new category for GT cars, which had a 6.0L engine capacity limit. Australia's Group D GT cars competed in the Australian GT Championship. Group D cars were eligible to compete in the Australian Tourist Trophy, a premier sports car event, from 1965 to 1968, and again in 1976 when the title was moved from Group A to Group D.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Introduction | 1972 |
| Vehicle Type | Modified vehicles of which at least 100 examples had been produced |
| Vehicle Type | Virtually standard cars |
| Vehicle Requirements | Two seats, two doors, mudguards, and an electrical system with operable lights, horn, and starter |
| Vehicle Requirements | Capable of being registered for road use |
| Vehicle Engine Capacity Limit | 5.0L until it was lifted to 6.0L in 1986 |
| Vehicle Examples | Various Rennmax's and Kaditcha's, the Elfin ME5 and MS7, the Matich SR3 and SR4, Bap Romano's Romano WE84 Cosworth, and Bernie Van Elsen's Chevrolet V8-powered Veskanda C1 |
| Category Status | Discontinued at the end of 1981 |
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What You'll Learn
Group D cars and Group A cars
Group A cars are a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA, which cover production-derived touring cars for competition. Group A cars are usually used for touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to Group B and C cars, Group A vehicles are limited in terms of power, weight, allowed technology, and overall cost. Group A vehicles were introduced in 1982 and aimed to ensure numerous entries in races of privately owned vehicles. Group A cars are still used as the basis for most rally competitions around the world, but the most competitive cars are limited-production prototypes.
Group A Sports Cars is an Australian motor racing category formulated for sports car racing in Australia and introduced in 1964. It continues today under the name Group 2A Sports Cars. Group A Sports Cars initially only catered to closed sports racing cars, but in 1965, it started catering to both open and closed sports cars. Vehicles were required to have two seats, two doors, mudguards, and an electrical system with operable lights, horn, and starter. The rules required that cars also be capable of being registered for road use, but the category was not intended for production-based cars.
Group D cars, on the other hand, refer to Group D Production Sports Cars, which were eligible to compete in Australian Sports Car Championship races alongside Group A Sports Cars from 1972 to 1975. In 1976, Group D became the sole category to contest the Australian Sports Car Championship, a situation that applied through to 1981. The category was discontinued at the end of that year, and the Group D designation was applied to a new category for GT Cars from 1982. Group D GT cars had a 6.0L capacity limit.
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Group D and Group B Improved Production Sports Cars
Group B, on the other hand, was introduced in 1982 and replaced Group 3 and Group 4. It was for GT cars with a minimum of two seats and was redefined as sports grand touring cars in 1986. Group B had a lower homologation requirement than other groups, making it more accessible for car manufacturers. It allowed for 'evolutions' within the original homologation, giving manufacturers flexibility in tweaking various aspects of their competing cars. Group B could be used to homologate production sports cars that didn't meet the requirements of other groups, such as the Ferrari 308 or the Porsche 911.
Both Group D and Group B Improved Production Sports Cars played a significant role in the motor racing landscape in Australia during their respective eras, with Group D finding particular prominence in the Australian GT Championship and Group B finding a home in the World Endurance Championship.
It is worth noting that Group A Sports Cars, which was introduced in 1964, also played a crucial role in Australian motor racing. Group A catered to closed sports racing cars initially, but from 1965 onwards, it included both open and closed sports cars. The rules required vehicles to have two seats, two doors, mudguards, and an electrical system with functioning lights, a horn, and a starter. Group A cars contested the Australian Tourist Trophy annually from 1965 to 1968 and were granted their own national series in 1969. In 1988, Group A Sports Cars were officially renamed Group 2A Sports Cars, and while they continue to be listed as a current category, their prominence in Australian motorsport has diminished over time.
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Group D and the Australian Tourist Trophy
The Australian Tourist Trophy (ATT) is a Confederation of Australian Motor Sport-sanctioned national motor racing title. The ATT was contested between 1956 and 1979 by Sports Cars and, since 2007, by GT cars. The trophy is currently awarded to the outright winners of the Bathurst 12 Hour.
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. Group A cars contested Australia's premier sports car event, the Australian Tourist Trophy, each year from 1965 to 1968.
Group D Production Sports Cars were eligible to compete in Australian Sports Car Championship races alongside those from the Group A Sports Cars category from 1972 to 1975. In May 1975, Production Sports Cars contested the revived Australian Tourist Trophy held at Calder Raceway. In 1976, Group D became the sole category to contest the Australian Sports Car Championship, a situation that applied through to 1981.
Group D GT cars (which ran in the Australian GT Championship) had already been running with a 6.0L capacity limit since 1982. Some of the Group A Sports Cars that were designed and built in Australia include various Rennmax's and Kaditcha's, the Elfin ME5 and MS7, the Matich SR3 and SR4, Bap Romano's Romano WE84 Cosworth, and Bernie Van Elsen's Chevrolet V8-powered Veskanda C1 driven by John Bowe.
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Group D and the Australian GT Championship
Group D is a category of cars that participated in the Australian GT Championship, formerly known as the Australian Sports Car Championship. From 1972 to 1975, Group D Production Sports Cars competed alongside Group A Sports Cars in the Australian Sports Car Championship races. In May 1975, Group D cars contested the Australian Tourist Trophy at Calder Raceway. From 1976 to 1981, Group D became the sole category for the Australian Sports Car Championship.
In 1982, the Group D designation was changed to a new category for GT Cars, with a 6.0L capacity limit. That same year, the Australian GT Championship was reintroduced as a category for both Group D and Group B Sports Sedans of the Australian Sports Sedan Championship (ASSC). The Australian GT Championship included a mix of European racing cars, American IMSA racers, and a wide variety of Australian Sports Sedans. The Sports Sedans were restricted to 10" wheels, while the GT cars were allowed up to 18" wheels. This difference in wheel size gave the GT cars a performance advantage over the Sports Sedans.
The Australian GT Championship was held annually from 1960 to 1963, from 1982 to 1985, and again from 2005 onwards. The championship races were open to closed-roof cars, not necessarily production-based, complying with CAMS Appendix K regulations. In 2020, the category was renamed "GT World Challenge Australia" by the Australian Racing Group and SRO Motorsports Group, bringing it in line with other SRO GT3 categories worldwide.
The GT World Challenge Australia series has grown steadily, with the inclusion of long-distance races such as the Bathurst 12 Hour, Phillip Island 101, and the Highlands 101 in New Zealand. In 2016, the Australian GT Trophy Series was introduced as a support series, featuring older-specification GT3, GT4, Challenge, and MARC cars. GT4 cars were integrated into the main championship in 2018.
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Group D and Group 2A Sports Cars
The vehicles in this group were required to have two seats, two doors, mudguards, and an electrical system with functioning lights, a horn, and a starter. While these cars could be registered for road use, the category was not intended for production-based cars, which were instead accommodated by two other CAMS categories: Group B Improved Production Sports Cars and Group D Series Production Sports Cars.
Group A cars contested Australia's premier sports car event, the Australian Tourist Trophy, annually from 1965 to 1968. They were granted their own national series in 1969. In 1976, the title was moved to Group D Production Sports Cars, and Group A cars once again contested the Australian Tourist Trophy until its discontinuation after 1979.
From 1982 until its final running in 1988, the Australian Sports Car Championship was opened up to Group A Sports Cars. In 1988, Group A Sports Cars officially became known as Group 2A Sports Cars, with the rules remaining largely unchanged since 1965. Today, Group 2A Sports Cars are primarily used for historic motor racing, with state championship appearances being rare.
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Frequently asked questions
Group D refers to a category of Australian motor racing for sports cars. Group D cars were eligible to compete in the Australian Sports Car Championship races alongside Group A Sports Cars from 1972 to 1975. In 1976, Group D became the sole category for the Australian Sports Car Championship.
Group D Production Sports Cars are virtually standard cars of which at least 100 examples have been produced. They were introduced in 1972 by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport.
Some Australian Group A Sports Cars include the Rennmax, Kaditcha, Elfin ME5, Matich SR3, and the Chevrolet V8-powered Veskanda C1.
