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Wikipedia / Baskerville Raceway

Baskerville Raceway is a permanent motor racing circuit located at 473 Baskerville Rd, Old Beach - a northern suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1954, the Hobart Sporting Car Club built the circuit in a natural amphitheatre on land provided by Calvin Morrisby (after whom turn 7 is named). The circuit was officially opened on 9 February 1958 by then Tasmanian Premier Robert Cosgrove with 20,000 spectators in attendance, and has been operating continuously ever since. Baskerville is the second-oldest continuously operating motor racing venue in Australia, with only Mount Panorama (which opened in 1938) being older.

History

Previously, Baskerville had hosted the Winfield 25's Touring Car Challenge, Australian Sports Car Championship, Australian Formula 2 Championship, Australian Road Racing Championships (motorcycles), Australian Superbike Championships and other races. Baskerville was the location for the 2006 and 2019 Australian Improved Production Nationals and for the 2009 Formula Vee Nationals, with the latter won by Daniel Reynolds in a Sabre 01.

Baskerville Raceway hosted the inaugural Tasmanian Historic Motorcycle Championships from 25 to 27 November 2011.

In recent years Baskerville Raceway has hosted the Baskerville Historics, the largest event at Baskerville Raceway. The event includes both cars and bikes over a three-day event, and has brought the likes of former V8 Supercars driver Glen Seton and current co-owner of V8 Supercar team Prodrive racing Australia, Rusty French.

In 2012 the owning club, Hobart Sporting Car Club, launched the Baskerville Foundation, a fundraising initiative to bring the circuit to a more modern standard with the ultimate goal of a full resurface of the track.

In 2015 the circuit gained a naming rights sponsor in Pepsi Max, with the circuit changing its name to Pepsi Max Baskerville Raceway

The circuit now holds several events including the Tasmanian Circuit Racing Championship, the Baskerville Historics, the Baskerville 2-Hour Motorcycle Race and several smaller events. The Circuit also hosts several non-Motorsport events such as the Raw Challenge.

In January 2021, the circuit also hosted non-championship round for the Touring Car Masters, TCR Australia Touring Car Series, and Trans-Am Australia Series after their first round in Symmons Plains Raceway.

Motorcycle Racing and Track Days

Motorcycle racing and public ride days are currently run by the Sports Riders Club of Tasmania (SRCT), one of only two club-run ride days in Australia.

Lap records

As of September 2024, the fastest official race lap records at the Baskerville Raceway are listed as:

Category

Time

Driver

Vehicle

Date

Full Circuit (1958–present):

Formula One

0:48.8269

Josh Kean

Benetton B186

23 September 2018

Formula 5000

0:48.8869

Jason White

McLaren M10A

23 September 2018

Formula Mondial

0:50.16

John Bowe

Ralt RT4

21 February 1982

Australian Formula 2

0:50.24

Jonathan Crooke

Cheetah Mk 8

16 March 1986

Sports Sedans

0:51.4048

Brad Sheriff

Nissan Skyline

22 October 2022

Trans-Am Australia

0:53.1265

Aaron Seton

Ford Mustang

30 January 2021

TCR Touring Car

0:53.9170

Aaron Cameron

Peugeot 308 TCR

30 January 2021

Touring Car Masters

0:55.5505

Adam Garwood

Chevrolet Camaro RS

30 January 2021

Improved Production Cars

0:56.1829

Jason House

BMW M3 (E92)

20 April 2024

Group C

0:56.80

Steve Masterton

Ford Falcon XE

25 November 1984

Aussie Racing Cars

0:57.2485

Joel Heinrich

Nissan Altima

20 May 2006

Excel Cup

1:04.1150

Oliver Wickham

Hyundai Excel

21 April 2024

HQ Holden

1:06.1211

Andrew Magilton

HQ Holden

14 September 2024

See also

References