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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE SYDNEY 500
IT IS the final round of the season and there’s lots to talk about as the Touring Car Masters title race comes down to the final round between three great drivers.
So because we’re an old-school series we’ve used some old school bullet points to bring you up to speed with all the interesting facts and stats you need to know about this weekend’s racing!
- 2016 will mark just the third time that TCM will have visited the Sydney Olympic Park street circuit.
- All three times will have been as the final round of the TCM schedule: the first round was held as the 2010 finale and the second the following year in 2011.
- Jim Richards (Falcon Sprint 2010) and Glenn Seton (Falcon XB Coupe 2011) have shared the pole positions at the Sydney 500.
- Seton’s 2011 pole time of 1m36.9407s was nearly 3.5 seconds faster than Richards’ 2010 mark.
- John Bowe has qualified second both times TCM has visited the Sydney 500. It’s the only track on the current schedule where he does not have a TCM pole position to his credit.
- However should Bowe grab pole it is believed it will be the 100th of his racing career. According to driverdb.com Bowe has amassed 99 career pole positions in his remarkable career including 44 of them in Touring Car Masters. Quite the record!
- Of the six races held at the Sydney 500 Jim Richards (2) and Gavin Bullas won in 2010 and Andrew Miedecke (2) and Bowe have shared the wins.
- Gavin Bullas won the 2010 round and Andrew Miedecke the 2011 affair.
- Bowe finished third in both rounds the Sydney 500 being the only round on the current schedule where he has not won a round.
- There have been two wins each to Ford’s Mustang Chevrolet’s Camaro and Richards’ Falcon Sprint.
- Glenn Seton holds the TCM lap record at the Sydney 500 a 1m38.3154s lap set in the final race of the 2011 round.
- Andrew Miedecke has the best record of any driver at the Sydney 500 his six races there netting him five podiums: 3x 3rds and 2x wins.
- Of active drivers Glenn Seton finished second in all three races the last time TCM visited Homebush in 2011.
- Of the championship battles Pro Sports and ProAm have already been decided with Adam Garwood and Jason Gomersall holding insurmountable leads respectively.
- The ProMaster title race is still wide open however with Bowe leading Eddie Abelnica by just 67 points. Glenn Seton sits third a further five points behind while fourth-placed Steven Johnson is mathematically out of contention for the overall title – though could still snare a spot on the overall podium.
SEASON STATS
- The Sydney 500 marks the 77th round of the TCM – the 10th year of the category.
- John Bowe (3) has the most round wins this year followed by Greg Ritter Glenn Seton and Steven Johnson with one each.
- Bowe has 5 round podiums this year with Seton (4) Abelnica (4) and Johnson (3) next.
- This weekend marks the 229th 230th and 231st races in the category history.
- Of the 21 races held to date this year there has been 10 different winners – a record number of different winners in a single season for TCM.
- Bowe (7) has the most race wins with Seton (4) Ritter & Johnson (2 each) next. Other winners include Adam Garwood Jim Richards Andrew Fisher Wayne Mercer Eddie Abelnica and Kiwi Colin Meadows at Bathurst.
- A record Seven (7) different models of car have won this year from four brands (Chevrolet Ford Holden AMC). Cars to have won include the Chevrolet Monza Falcon XY GTHO Holden Torana SL/R 5000 Ford Mustang Coupe Chevrolet Camaro AMC Javelin Ford Falcon XB GT Coupe.
- 18 different drivers have scored a top 3 finish in a race this year also a record in TCM history.
- Jason Gomersall has finished on the podium five times this year without grabbing a win – the most of any driver.
- The average margin between first and second in qualifying has been just 0.4s this year – the third closest on record for TCM.
- Australian cars won just 20 of the first 183 races in TCM history. They have won 25 of the last 45 – since the commencement of the 2015 season.
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