# 1997 Australian Touring Car season

The 1997 Australian Touring Car season was the 38th year of touring car racing in Australia since the first runnings of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the fore-runner of the present day Bathurst 1000, the Armstrong 500.
Two major touring car categories raced in Australia during 1997, V8 Supercar and Super Touring. Between them there were 26 touring car race meetings held during 1997; a ten-round series for V8 Supercars, the 1997 Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC); an eight-round series for Super Touring, the 1997 Australian Super Touring Championship (ASTC); an unofficial four round series for V8 Supercars, the 1997 ARDC AMSCAR series (the final edition of AMSCAR); support programme events at the 1997 Australian Grand Prix and 1997 Sunbelt IndyCarnival and three stand alone long distance races, nicknamed 'enduros'.

## Results and standings
### Race calendar

The 1997 Australian touring car season consisted of 26 events.
| Date | Series | Circuit | City / state | Winner | Team | Car | Report |
| 7–9 Mar | Super Touring GT-P Race | Albert Park | Melbourne, Victoria | Jim Richards | Volvo Cars Australia | Volvo 850 | |
| 7–9 Mar | TAC V8 Supercar Showdown | Albert Park | Melbourne, Victoria | Russell Ingall | Perkins Engineering | Holden VS Commodore | |
| 15 Mar | ATCC Round 1 | Calder Park Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | Wayne Gardner | Wayne Gardner Racing | Holden VS Commodore | |
| 5–6 Apr | Hog's Breath Cafe V8 Supercar Challenge | Surfers Paradise street circuit | Surfers Paradise, Queensland | Russell Ingall | Perkins Engineering | Holden VS Commodore | |
| 13 Apr | ATCC Round 2 | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | Phillip Island, Victoria | Russell Ingall | Perkins Engineering | Holden VS Commodore | |
| 27 Apr | ATCC Round 3 | Sandown International Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | Glenn Seton | Glenn Seton Racing | Ford EL Falcon | |
| 4 May | ATCC Round 4 | Symmons Plains Raceway | Launceston, Tasmania | Greg Murphy | Holden Racing Team | Holden VS Commodore | |
| 4 May | ASTC Round 1 | Lakeside International Raceway | Brisbane, Queensland | Paul Morris | Paul Morris Motorsport | BMW 320i | |
| 18 May | ATCC Round 5 | Winton Motor Raceway | Benalla, Victoria | Russell Ingall | Perkins Engineering | Holden VS Commodore | |
| 25 May | ATCC Round 6 | Eastern Creek Raceway | Sydney, New South Wales | Glenn Seton | Glenn Seton Racing | Ford EL Falcon | |
| 1 Jun | ASTC Round 2 | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | Phillip Island, Victoria | Paul Morris | Paul Morris Motorsport | BMW 320i | |
| 15 Jun | ATCC Round 7 | Lakeside International Raceway | Brisbane, Queensland | John Bowe | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford EL Falcon | |
| 22 Jun | ASTC Round 3 | Calder Park Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | Geoff Brabham | Paul Morris Motorsport | BMW 320i | |
| 22 Jun | AMSCAR Round 1 | Eastern Creek Raceway | Sydney, New South Wales | Allan McCarthy | West Coast Racing | Ford EL Falcon | |
| 6 Jul | ATCC Round 8 | Barbagallo Raceway | Perth, Western Australia | Peter Brock | Holden Racing Team | Holden VS Commodore | |
| 13 Jul | ATCC Round 9 | Mallala Motor Sport Park | Adelaide, South Australia | Greg Murphy | Holden Racing Team | Holden VS Commodore | |
| 20 Jul | ASTC Round 4 | Amaroo Park | Sydney, New South Wales | Brad Jones | Brad Jones Racing | Audi A4 Quattro | |
| 20 Jul | AMSCAR Round 2 | Amaroo Park | Sydney, New South Wales | Mal Rose | Mal Rose Racing | Holden VS Commodore | |
| 3 Aug | ATCC Round 10 | Oran Park Raceway | Sydney, New South Wales | Greg Murphy | Holden Racing Team | Holden VS Commodore | |
| 10 Aug | ASTC Round 5 | Winton Motor Raceway | Benalla, Victoria | Paul Morris | Paul Morris Motorsport | BMW 320i | |
| 24 Aug | ASTC Round 6 | Mallala Motor Sport Park | Adelaide, South Australia | Cameron McConville | Brad Jones Racing | Audi A4 Quattro | |
| 31 Aug | AMSCAR Round 3 | Eastern Creek Raceway | Sydney, New South Wales | Mal Rose | Mal Rose Racing | Holden VS Commodore | |
| 14 Sep | Tickford Sandown 500 | Sandown International Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | Greg Murphy Craig Lowndes | Holden Racing Team | Holden VS Commodore | report |
| 5 Oct | AMP Bathurst 1000 | Mount Panorama Circuit | Bathurst, New South Wales | Geoff Brabham David Brabham | Paul Morris Motorsport | BMW 320i | report |
| 19 Oct | Primus 1000 Classic | Mount Panorama Circuit | Bathurst, New South Wales | Russell Ingall Larry Perkins | Perkins Engineering | Holden VS Commodore | report |
| 26 Oct | ASTC Round 7 | Lakeside International Raceway | Brisbane, Queensland | Paul Morris | Paul Morris Motorsport | BMW 320i | |
| 9 Nov | ASTC Round 8 | Amaroo Park | Sydney, New South Wales | Geoff Brabham | Paul Morris Motorsport | BMW 320i | |
| 7 Dec | AMSCAR Round 4 | Eastern Creek Raceway | Sydney, New South Wales | Michael Donaher | Clive Wiseman Racing | Holden VS Commodore | |

### Super Touring GT-P Race

This meeting was a support event of the 1997 Australian Grand Prix. The thin Super Touring field was bolstered by cars from the Australian GT-Production Car Championship (indicated in italics).
| Driver | No. | Team | Car | Race 1 | Race 2 |
| Jim Richards | 6 | Volvo Cars Australia | Volvo 850 | 1 | 1 |
| Steven Richards | 34 | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Honda Accord | 2 | 2 |
| Geoff Brabham | 83 | BMW Motorsport Australia | BMW 320i | DSQ | 3 |
| Paul Morris | 2 | BMW Motorsport Australia | BMW 320i | DSQ | 4 |
| Brad Jones | 1 | Brad Jones Racing | Audi A4 Quattro | DNF | 5 |
| Alan Jones | 3 | Brad Jones Racing | Audi A4 Quattro | 3 | 6 |
| Bob Tweedie | 79 | IBC Motorsport | Vauxhall Cavalier | 4 | 7 |
| Cameron McConville | 22 | Warwick Fabrics | Porsche 993 RSCS | 5 | 8 |
| John Bowe | 10 | Ross Palmer Motorsport | Ferrari F355 Challenge | 7 | 9 |
| Justin Mathews | 16 | Bob Holden Motors | BMW 318i | 6 | 10 |
| Rusty French | 28 | | Porsche 993 RSCS | 8 | 11 |
| Max Dunn | 46 | | Porsche 993 RSCS | 10 | 12 |
| Ross Palmer | 72 | Ross Palmer Motorsport | Ferrari F355 Challenge | DNF | 13 |
| Tony Newman | 37 | TC Motorsport | Peugeot 405 Mi16 | 9 | 14 |
| Guy Gibbons | 33 | | Subaru Impreza WRX | 11 | 15 |
| Ian McAllister | 66 | | Volvo 850 T5-R | 13 | 16 |
| Eric Houghton | 4 | Zega Automotive Group | Mitsubishi Lancer RS-E Evo IV | DNF | 17 |
| Murray Carter | 18 | | Nissan 200SX Turbo | 14 | 18 |
| Colin Osborne | 21 | Osborne Motorsport | Toyota MR2 Bathurst | 12 | 19 |
| Andrej Pavicevic | 31 | | Subaru Impreza WRX | DNF | DNS |
| Peter Hills | 88 | Knight Racing | Ford Mondeo | DNS | DNS |

### TAC V8 Supercar Showdown

This meeting was a support event of the 1997 Australian Grand Prix.
| Driver | No. | Team | Car | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 |
| Russell Ingall | 8 | Perkins Engineering | Holden VS Commodore | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Larry Perkins | 11 | Perkins Engineering | Holden VS Commodore | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Peter Brock | 05 | Holden Racing Team | Holden VS Commodore | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| John Bowe | 18 | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford EL Falcon | DNS | 5 | 4 |
| Greg Murphy | 15 | Holden Racing Team | Holden VS Commodore | 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Wayne Gardner | 7 | Wayne Gardner Racing | Holden VS Commodore | DNS | 7 | 6 |
| Dick Johnson | 17 | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford EL Falcon | 7 | 4 | 7 |
| Alan Jones | 9 | Alan Jones Racing | Ford EL Falcon | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| John Faulkner | 46 | John Faulkner Racing | Holden VS Commodore | 22 | 11 | 9 |
| Tony Longhurst | 25 | Longhurst Racing | Ford EL Falcon | 14 | 9 | 10 |
| Mark Noske | 97 | Holden Racing Team | Holden VS Commodore | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| Steve Ellery | 52 | Longhurst Racing | Ford EL Falcon | 24 | 12 | 12 |
| Glenn Seton | 30 | Glenn Seton Racing | Ford EL Falcon | 4 | DNS | 13 |
| Trevor Ashby | 3 | Lansvale Racing Team | Holden VS Commodore | 11 | 15 | 14 |
| Mark Skaife | 2 | Gibson Motorsport | Holden VS Commodore | DNF | 13 | 15 |
| Kevin Schwantz | 75 | John Sidney Racing | Ford EF Falcon | 26 | 18 | 16 |
| Tomas Mezera | 47 | Daily Planet Racing | Holden VS Commodore | DNF | 17 | 17 |
| Steven Richards | 34 | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden VS Commodore | 12 | 14 | 18 |
| Terry Finnigan | 27 | | Holden VS Commodore | 15 | DNF | 19 |
| Kevin Heffernan | 74 | PACE Racing | Holden VS Commodore | 25 | 21 | 20 |
| Mark Larkham | 10 | Larkham Motor Sport | Ford EL Falcon | 10 | 20 | 21 |
| Anthony Tratt | 42 | | Holden VP Commodore | 17 | 16 | 22 |
| Chris Smerdon | 39 | Challenge Motorsport | Holden VS Commodore | 16 | 19 | 23 |
| Malcolm Stenniken | 14 | | Holden VR Commodore | 18 | 28 | 24 |
| Ian Palmer | 20 | Palmer Promotions | Holden VS Commodore | 19 | 25 | 25 |
| Wayne Russell | 62 | | Holden VP Commodore | 20 | 24 | 26 |
| Shaun Walker | 99 | | Holden VS Commodore | 23 | 27 | 27 |
| Mike Conway | 79 | Cadillac Productions | Holden VP Commodore | 21 | DNF | 28 |
| John Cotter | 26 | M3 Motorsport | Holden VP Commodore | DNF | 26 | 29 |
| Neil Crompton | 4 | Wayne Gardner Racing | Holden VS Commodore | 8 | 23 | DNF |
| Mark Poole | 38 | James Rosenberg Racing | Holden VS Commodore | 13 | 22 | DNS |
| Rob Middleton | 66 | Clive Wiseman Racing | Holden VP Commodore | DNF | DNS | DNS |

### Hog's Breath V8 Supercar Challenge

This meeting was a support event of the 1997 Sunbelt IndyCarnival.
| Driver | No. | Team | Car | Race 1 | Race 2 |
| Russell Ingall | 8 | Perkins Engineering | Holden VS Commodore | 2 | 1 |
| Larry Perkins | 11 | Perkins Engineering | Holden VS Commodore | 5 | 2 |
| Wayne Gardner | 7 | Wayne Gardner Racing | Holden VS Commodore | 7 | 3 |
| Neil Crompton | 4 | Wayne Gardner Racing | Holden VS Commodore | 6 | 4 |
| Tony Longhurst | 25 | Longhurst Racing | Ford EL Falcon | 8 | 5 |
| Alan Jones | 9 | Alan Jones Racing | Ford EL Falcon | 3 | 6 |
| Mark Larkham | 10 | Larkham Motor Sport | Ford EL Falcon | 10 | 7 |
| John Faulkner | 46 | John Faulkner Racing | Holden VS Commodore | 9 | 8 |
| Peter Brock | 05 | Holden Racing Team | Holden VS Commodore | 4 | 9 |
| Steve Ellery | 52 | Longhurst Racing | Ford EL Falcon | 13 | 10 |
| Steven Johnson | 49 | Alcair Racing | Holden VS Commodore | DNF | 11 |
| Tomas Mezera | 47 | Daily Planet Racing | Holden VS Commodore | DNF | 12 |
| John Bowe | 18 | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford EL Falcon | DNF | 13 |
| Steve Reed | 3 | Lansvale Racing Team | Holden VS Commodore | DNF | 14 |
| Kevin Heffernan | 74 | PACE Racing | Holden VS Commodore | DNF | 15 |
| Garry Willmington | 41 | Garry Willmington Performance | Ford EB Falcon | 16 | 16 |
| Wayne Russell | 62 | | Holden VP Commodore | 14 | 17 |
| Greg Murphy | 15 | Holden Racing Team | Holden VS Commodore | 1 | DNF |
| Mark Poole | 38 | James Rosenberg Racing | Holden VS Commodore | 12 | DNF |
| Danny Osborne | 22 | Colourscan Motorsport | Ford EF Falcon | 15 | DNF |
| Paul Romano | 24 | Romano Racing | Holden VS Commodore | 11 | DNF |
| Glenn Seton | 30 | Glenn Seton Racing | Ford EL Falcon | DNF | DNS |
| Dick Johnson | 17 | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford EL Falcon | DNF | DNS |
| Steven Richards | 34 | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden VS Commodore | DNF | DNS |
| Terry Finnigan | 27 | | Holden VS Commodore | DNF | DNS |