Canberra 400 - Track

Track

While the ACT government was selling the idea of a V8 Supercar race in Canberra, Holden Racing Team driver Mark Skaife was given the job of designing the circuit. He was told that it was to be run inside the Parliamentary Triangle. What he came up with was a 3.9 km track with 15 turns.

Pit straight was chosen on Langton Crescent, which runs alongside the Treasury Building, with the pits being set up in the parallel car park. Cars would head in a south direction to turn 1. Turn 1 is considered to be the hardest corner in Australia, at the start of a race. The right-hand turn was very tight and narrow, which caused cars to touch bumper-to-bumper as they ran through the corner. This would usually result in damaged cars.

Turn 2 was a long sweeping left-hander onto Queen Victoria Terrace, past the West Block Government Offices. This corner had a blind exit, with drivers holding their breath hoping that the track was clear on the other side.

The turn 3, 4, 5 and 6 complex was referred to by the drivers as the 'Bus Stop' in reference to the Bus Stop chicane which is a similar set of corners at the Belgium circuit Spa. It was also known as the 'Flip-Flop'. Cars would go through a quick right-left-straight-left-right, past the Old Parliament House, before heading towards turns 7 and 8 past the National Archives and the East Block Government Offices.

Turn 9 was a right-hander turn onto Kings Avenue and the first real straight on the circuit. The cars would then turn right again at turn 10 onto State Circle running in front of the new Parliament House. As the name suggests, State Circle is a full circular road, with the cars continuously turning left, running under the overhead bridges at a top speed of 250 km/h.

Turn 11 was another right-hander onto Flynn Drive. This corner was the only real possible overtaking spot on the track. There was also the possibility of overshooting the corner due to the high entry speed. Cars would then run past the Chinese Embassy towards the roundabout at Turn 12. Cars then continued along Flynn Drive, passed the Hyatt Hotel Canberra.

Turn 13 was a right-left chicane, called the Canberra Complex, turning into Flynn Place. This corner was taken in first gear, which is almost unheard of in other circuits in Australia. Cars then entered the turn 14 and 15 section, which is a continuous sweeping right-hander, past Lake Burley Griffin and under Commonwealth Avenue bridge before running past the National Library of Australia and back onto Langton Crescent and past the start/finish line.

The lap record for the Canberra Street Circuit was set on 10 June 2001 when Simon Wills drove his Reynard 94D Formula Holden around the 3.9 km track in 1:39.5409.