1997 ATCC Mallala round
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| Round 9 of 10 in the 1997 Australian Touring Car Championship | ||||||||||||||
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| Date | 11–13 July 1997 | |||||||||||||
| Location | Mallala, South Australia | |||||||||||||
| Venue | Mallala Motor Sport Park | |||||||||||||
| Weather | Sunny | |||||||||||||
| Results | ||||||||||||||
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The 1997 ATCC Mallala round was the ninth round of the 1997 Australian Touring Car Championship. It was held on the weekend of 11 to 13 July at Mallala Motor Sport Park in Mallala, South Australia.
Greg Murphy secured his first round victory since Tasmania with a largely dominant weekend that included pole position and two race victories. Larry Perkins won the third race of the weekend in what would turn out to be his final solo Australian Touring Car victory.
Glenn Seton's consistency awarded him third overall for the round and allowed him to extend his lead over John Bowe heading into the final round at Oran Park.
Background
The event was held on the weekend of 11 to 13 July 1997. It was the 13th ATCC/V8 Supercar event to be held at Mallala Motor Sport Park and consisted of three 40 km sprint races.
This was the penultimate round for Peter Brock as a full-time driver. As a result, the Mallala venue enjoyed its highest attendance figure ever when 30,500 people made their way to the facility.
Entry list
A total of 21 drivers were entered into the weekend.
Mark Skaife returned to the championship after missing the previous two rounds at Lakeside and Perth. Stephen White made his championship debut with the Holden Racing Team, Kerryn Brewer made her second appearance with Perkins Engineering and Chris Smerdon returned to the series with Challenge Motorsport.
Dick Johnson entered the weekend nursing an injury in his left arm.
Race report
Qualifying
Privateers Cup
| Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Vehicle | Laps | Time | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 46 |  John Faulkner |
John Faulkner Racing | Holden Commodore (VS) | 3 | 4:43.7615 | 1 |
| 2 | 45 |  Darren Hossack |
Gibson Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VS) | 3 | + 3.121 | 4 |
| 3 | 19 | Kerryn Brewer |
Perkins Engineering | Holden Commodore (VS) | 3 | + 7.532 | 6 |
| 4 | 27 | Terry Finnigan |
Terry Finnigan | Holden Commodore (VS) | 3 | + 7.826 | 3 |
| 5 | 38 | Mark Poole |
James Rosenberg Racing | Holden Commodore (VS) | 3 | + 8.286 | 2 |
| 6 | 39 | Chris Smerdon |
Challenge Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VS) | 3 | + 9.147 | 5 |
| 7 | 22 | Danny Osbourne |
Colourscan Motorsport | Ford Falcon (EL) | 3 | + 11.504 | 7 |
| Fastest Lap: John Faulkner (John Faulkner Racing) - 1:08.5415 on lap 2 | |||||||
| Source: | |||||||
Race 1
Brock's weekend got off to a bad start after contact with Mark Skaife at turn one as a result of the latter locking up and making contact with the rear of the Holden Racing Team Commodore. The damage inflicted on the front-right corner of Skaife's car rendered him out of the race soon thereafter. Tony Longhurst's race also came to an end due to engine problems.
The championship trio of Seton, Bowe and Ingall fought over third place in the final laps of the race. Seton managed to withhold the pressure to claim the final step on the podium. Murphy meanwhile controlled the pace to take a comfortable win over Perkins.
Race 2
Race 3
Championship points
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References
- ↑ "Seton Holds On With One Round Remaining". Speedsport Ltd. July 1997. pp. 58–60.
- ↑ "Memories of Mallala". Talk Motorsport. 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
- ↑ "1997 Australian Touring Car Mallala (Race 1) - Qualifying". Racing Years. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
- ↑ "1997 Australian Touring Car Mallala (Race 1)". Racing Years. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
- ↑ "1997 Australian Touring Car Mallala (Race 2)". Racing Years. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
- ↑ "1997 Australian Touring Car Mallala (Race 3)". Racing Years. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
External links
| Supercars Championship | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous race: 1997 ATCC Perth round |
1997 Supercars Championship | Next race: 1997 ATCC Oran Park round |
| Previous year: 1996 ATCC Mallala round |
Mallala Motor Sport Park | Next year: 1998 ATCC Mallala round |