# 1997 Australian Super Touring Championship

The 1997 Australian Super Touring Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title open to Super Touring Cars. It was the fifth national title to be run in Australia for Super Touring Cars and the third to carry the Australian Super Touring Championship name. The championship, which was promoted by TOCA Australia as the 1997 BOC Gases Australian Super Touring Championship, began on 4 May at Lakeside International Raceway and ended on 9 November at Amaroo Park after eight rounds and sixteen races. The Drivers Championship was won by Paul Morris, the Manufacturers Championship by BMW and the Teams Championship by BMW Motorsport.

## Teams and drivers

The following teams and drivers competed in the 1997 Australian Super Touring Championship.
| Team | Car | No. | Driver |
| Audi Sport Australia | Audi A4 Quattro | 1 * | Brad Jones |
| Audi Sport Australia | Audi A4 Quattro | 11 * | Cameron McConville |
| BMW Motorsport | BMW 320i | 2 * | Paul Morris |
| BMW Motorsport | BMW 320i | 22 * | Craig Baird |
| BMW Motorsport | BMW 320i | 83 * | Geoff Brabham |
| Volvo Cars Australia | Volvo 850 | 4 * | Tony Scott |
| Volvo Cars Australia | Volvo 850 | 8 * | Jim Richards |
| Phoenix Motorsport | Toyota Camry | 10 | Mark Adderton Neal Bates |
| Greenfield Mowers Racing | Opel Vectra Holden Vectra | 12 | Cameron McLean |
| CPW Motorsport | BMW 318i | 13 | Wayne Wakefield |
| CPW Motorsport | BMW 318i | 27 | Steven Johnson |
| CPW Motorsport | BMW 318i | 64 | Jason Richards |
| Triple P Racing | Hyundai Elantra | 14 | Jim Cornish Kurt Kratzmann |
| Triple P Racing | Hyundai Elantra | 57 | Jim Cornish |
| Triple P Racing | Hyundai Elantra | 58 | Paul Pickett |
| Team Petronas PX2 | Ford Mondeo | 15 | Gianfranco Brancatelli Michael Briggs |
| Team Petronas PX2 | Ford Mondeo | 20 | Albert Poon |
| AAP Racing | Toyota Carina | 15 | Milton Leslight |
| Bob Holden Motors | BMW 318i | 16 | Justin Matthews |
| M-F Racing | Peugeot 405 Mi16 | 21 | Mike Fitzgerald |
| Garry Rogers Motorsport | Honda Accord Nissan Primera | 34 | Steven Richards |
| TC Motorsport | Peugeot 405 Mi16 | 37 | Tony Newman |
| TC Motorsport | Peugeot 405 Mi16 | 38 | Dwayne Bewley |
| Gun Racing | Alfa Romeo 155 TS | 45 | David Auger |
| John Henderson Racing | Opel Vectra | 56 | John Henderson |
| Warren Luff | Honda Accord | 60 | Warren Luff |
| Robert Tweedie | Vauxhall Cavalier | 79 | Bob Tweedie |
| Knight Racing | Ford Mondeo | 88 | Peter Hills |
| Knight Racing | Ford Mondeo | 89 | Jenni Thompson Claude Elias |
| Nigel Barclay | BMW 318i | 99 | Blair Smith |
Note : * indicates entry nominated by a manufacturer for the Manufacturers Championship

## Race calendar

The 1997 Australian Super Touring Championship was contested over eight rounds with two races held at each round.
| Rd. | Race | Circuit | Location / state | Date | Winner | Car | Team | Report |
| NC | 1 | Albert Park Circuit | Melbourne, Victoria | 8–9 March | Jim Richards | Volvo 850 GLT | Volvo Racing Australia | |
| NC | 2 | Albert Park Circuit | Melbourne, Victoria | 8–9 March | Jim Richards | Volvo 850 GLT | Volvo Racing Australia | |
| NC | 3 | Albert Park Circuit | Melbourne, Victoria | 8–9 March | Jim Richards | Volvo 850 GLT | Volvo Racing Australia | |
| 1 | 1 | Lakeside International Raceway | Brisbane, Queensland | 3–4 May | Paul Morris | BMW 320i | Paul Morris Motorsport | |
| 1 | 2 | Lakeside International Raceway | Brisbane, Queensland | 3–4 May | Paul Morris | BMW 320i | Paul Morris Motorsport | |
| 2 | 1 | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | Phillip Island, Victoria | 31 May–1 Jun | Paul Morris | BMW 320i | Paul Morris Motorsport | |
| 2 | 2 | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | Phillip Island, Victoria | 31 May–1 Jun | Geoff Brabham | BMW 320i | Paul Morris Motorsport | |
| 3 | 1 | Calder Park Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | 21–22 Jun | Brad Jones | Audi A4 Quattro | Brad Jones Racing | |
| 3 | 2 | Calder Park Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | 21–22 Jun | Geoff Brabham | BMW 320i | Paul Morris Motorsport | |
| 4 | 1 | Amaroo Park | Sydney, New South Wales | 19–20 Jul | Brad Jones | Audi A4 Quattro | Brad Jones Racing | |
| 4 | 2 | Amaroo Park | Sydney, New South Wales | 19–20 Jul | Brad Jones | Audi A4 Quattro | Brad Jones Racing | |
| 5 | 1 | Winton Motor Raceway | Benalla, Victoria | 9–10 Aug | Cameron McConville | Audi A4 Quattro | Brad Jones Racing | |
| 5 | 2 | Winton Motor Raceway | Benalla, Victoria | 9–10 Aug | Paul Morris | BMW 320i | Paul Morris Motorsport | |
| 6 | 1 | Mallala Motor Sport Park | Mallala, South Australia | 23–24 Aug | Brad Jones | Audi A4 Quattro | Brad Jones Racing | |
| 6 | 2 | Mallala Motor Sport Park | Mallala, South Australia | 23–24 Aug | Cameron McConville | Audi A4 Quattro | Brad Jones Racing | |
| NC | 1 | Mount Panorama Circuit | Bathurst, New South Wales | 5 Oct | David Brabham & Geoff Brabham | BMW 320i | BMW Motorsport Australia | Report |
| 7 | 1 | Lakeside International Raceway | Brisbane, Queensland | 25–26 Oct | Paul Morris | BMW 320i | Paul Morris Motorsport | |
| 7 | 2 | Lakeside International Raceway | Brisbane, Queensland | 25–26 Oct | Paul Morris | BMW 320i | Paul Morris Motorsport | |
| 8 | 1 | Amaroo Park | Sydney, New South Wales | 8–9 Nov | Geoff Brabham | BMW 320i | Paul Morris Motorsport | |
| 8 | 2 | Amaroo Park | Sydney, New South Wales | 8–9 Nov | Paul Morris | BMW 320i | Paul Morris Motorsport | |

## Results
### Drivers Championship

Drivers Championship points were awarded on a 15-12-10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for the first ten places in each race. One point was awarded to the driver setting the fastest qualifying time for each races.
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Lak 1 | Lak 2 | Phi 1 | Phi 2 | Cal 1 | Cal 2 | Ama 1 | Ama 2 | Win 1 | Win 2 | Mal 1 | Mal 2 | Lak 1 | Lak 2 | Ama 1 | Ama 2 | Points |
| 1 | Paul Morris | BMW 320i | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | Ret | 2nd | 2nd | 4th | 2nd | 1st | 6th | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 4th | 1st | 189 |
| 2 | Geoff Brabham | BMW 320i | 2nd | 2nd | 5th | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 4th | 3rd | 8th | 3rd | Ret | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 3rd | 171 |
| 3 | Cameron McConville | Audi A4 Quattro | DSQ | 8th | 2nd | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | 4th | 6th | 3rd | 2nd | 152 |
| 4 | Brad Jones | Audi A4 Quattro | Ret | 6th | 11th | 3rd | 1st | 4th | 1st | 1st | 3rd | 6th | 1st | 4th | Ret | 7th | 2nd | Ret | 125 |
| 5 | Jim Richards | Volvo 850 | 3rd | 3rd | Ret | 5th | 4th | 5th | 5th | 5th | 4th | 4th | 2nd | 5th | 5th | 4th | 6th | 5th | 111 |
| 6 | Cameron McLean | Opel Vectra Holden Vectra | 4th | 4th | 4th | Ret | 5th | 10th | 11th | 6th | 5th | 7th | 4th | 6th | 6th | 5th | 13th | 11th | 70 |
| 7 | Steven Richards | Honda Accord Nissan Primera | Ret | Ret | 3rd | 6th | DSQ | 6th | 6th | 7th | 7th | 5th | 11th | Ret | | | 8th | Ret | 42 |
| 8 | Craig Baird | BMW 320i | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3rd | 3rd | 5th | 4th | 35 |
| 9 | Justin Matthews | BMW 318i | 6th | 7th | 6th | 8th | 9th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 10th | 9th | Ret | Ret | 9th | 9th | 16th | 8th | 32 |
| 10 | Tony Newman | Peugeot 405 Mi16 | 8th | 9th | 7th | 7th | 8th | Ret | Ret | 10th | 11th | Ret | 7th | 8th | Ret | 14th | Ret | DNS | 24 |
| 11 | David Auger | Alfa Romeo 155 TS | 7th | 10th | 8th | Ret | 7th | 8th | 13th | 13th | 12th | 10th | 9th | 9th | 10th | 10th | 14th | Ret | 22 |
| 12 | Bob Tweedie | Vauxhall Cavalier | Ret | Ret | 12th | DSQ | 6th | Ret | 9th | 9th | 13th | 11th | 8th | 7th | 11th | 12th | 12th | Ret | 16 |
| 13 | Mark Adderton | Toyota Camry | | | | | Ret | Ret | 8th | Ret | | | | | 8th | Ret | 7th | 7th | 14 |
| 13 | Neal Bates | Toyota Camry | | | | | | | | | 6th | 8th | 5th | Ret | | | | | 14 |
| 15 | Wayne Wakefield | BMW 318i | 5th | 5th | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 12 |
| 16 | Tony Scott | Volvo 850 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 9th | 6th | 7 |
| 16 | Jason Richards | BMW 318i | | | | | | | 7th | 8th | | | | | | | | | 7 |
| 16 | Steven Johnson | BMW 318i | | | | | | | | | | | | | 7th | 8th | | | 7 |
| 19 | Michael Briggs | Ford Mondeo | | | | | Ret | 7th | | | | | | | | | | | 4 |
| 20 | Peter Hills | Ford Mondeo | | | | | | | 12th | 12th | 9th | 12th | | | 12th | 11th | Ret | Ret | 2 |
| 20 | Paul Pickett | Hyundai Elantra | Ret | Ret | 9th | Ret | | | | | | | | | Ret | 15th | Ret | DNS | 2 |
| 20 | Claude Elias | Ford Mondeo | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 15th | 9th | 2 |
| 20 | Jim Cornish | Hyundai Elantra | Ret | 11th | 10th | Ret | | | | | Ret | Ret | 10th | Ret | | | | | 2 |
| 20 | Dwayne Bewley | Peugeot 405 Mi16 | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ret | 13th | 10th | 10th | 2 |
| - | Warren Luff | Honda Accord | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ret | DNS | 11th | Ret | - |
| - | Jenni Thompson | Ford Mondeo | | | | | | | | | | | | | 13th | 16th | | | - |
| - | Gianfranco Brancatelli | Ford Mondeo | | | Ret | Ret | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Blair Smith | BMW 318i | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | - |
| - | Kurt Kratzmann | Hyundai Elantra | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ret | DNS | | | - |
| - | John Henderson | Opel Vectra | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ret | Ret | - |
| - | Milton Leslight | Toyota Carina | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ret | DNS | - |
| - | Mike Fitzgerald | Peugeot 405 Mi16 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ret | DNS | - |
| - | Albert Poon | Ford Mondeo | | | DNS | DNS | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Lak 1 | Lak 2 | Phi 1 | Phi 2 | Cal 1 | Cal 2 | Ama 1 | Ama 2 | Win 1 | Win 2 | Mal 1 | Mal 2 | Lak 1 | Lak 2 | Ama 1 | Ama 2 | Points |
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | Second place |
| Bronze | Third place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Retired (Ret) |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Red | Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Withdrew (WD) |
| White | Race cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Did not practice (DNP) |
| Blank | Did not arrive (DNA) |
| Blank | Excluded (EX) |

### Manufacturers Championship

Manufacturers Championship points were awarded on a 15-12-10 basis for relative positions attained in each race by the best placed car of each of the three manufacturers that had nominated cars to compete on their behalf.
| Position | Manufacturer | Lak R1 | Lak R2 | Phi R1 | Phi R2 | Cal R1 | Cal R2 | Ama R1 | Ama R2 | Win R1 | Win R2 | Mal R1 | Mal R2 | Lak R1 | Lak R2 | Ama R1 | Ama R2 | Points |
| 1 | BMW | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 220 |
| 2 | Audi | - | 10 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 194 |
| 3 | Volvo | 12 | 12 | - | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 158 |

### Teams Championship

| Position | Team | Car | Points |
| 1 | BMW Motorsport | BMW 320i | 362 |
| 2 | Orix Audi Sport Australia | Audi A4 Quattro | 305 |
| 3 | HVe Motorsport | Hyundai Lantra | 31 |
| 4 | Knight Racing | Ford Mondeo | 30 |
| 5 | Volvo Racing | Volvo 850 | 25 |
| 6 | Fastway Couriers | Peugeot 405 Mi16 | 17 |

### TOCA Challenge Cup - Independents

| Position | Driver | Car | Points |
| 1 | Cameron McLean | Opel Vectra Holden Vectra | 186 |
| 2 | Steven Richards | Nissan Primera | 123 |
| 3 | Justin Matthews | BMW 318i | 111 |
| 4 | David Auger | Alfa Romeo 155 TS | 81 |
| 5 | Robert Tweedie | Vauxhall Cavalier | 78 |
| 6 | Tony Newman | Peugeot 405 Mi16 | 74 |
| 7 | Mark Adderton | Toyota Camry | 50 |
| 8 | Neal Bates | Toyota Camry | 34 |
| 9 | Peter Hills | Ford Mondeo | 30 |
| 10 | Wayne Wakefield | BMW 318i | 24 |
| = | Steven Johnson | BMW 318i | 24 |
| 12 | Jason Richards | BMW 318i | 23 |
| 13 | Dwayne Bewley | Peugeot 405 Mi16 | 22 |
| 14 | Jim Cornish | Hyundai Lantra | 16 |
| 15 | Claude Elias | Ford Mondeo | 13 |
| 16 | Mike Briggs | Ford Mondeo | 12 |
| 17 | Warren Luff | Honda Accord | 8 |
| 18 | Paul Pickett | Hyundai Lantra | 6 |
| 19 | Jenni Thompson | Ford Mondeo | 4 |
The TOCA Challenge Cup was open to drivers of teams which did not receive major support from a manufacturer.