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Sandown long circuit

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Rob 18

New member
I was watching a replay of the 1984 Sandown 500 the other day which was the first to be raced on the long circuit 3.9 km.

I know there is a lot of nostalgia about the original 3.1 km track, but how good was it to see a replay of the big bangers sliding around the new infield in 1984. Johnson power sliding through the corners in the big XE was a sight to behold with Brock & Moffat & co trying to keep up untill the gearbox failed on the big Falcon.

Does anyone know if the infield is still there or has it been ripped out or what??? I'd love to see the modern day touring cars have a go at the long circuit, & with the current V8's being allmost bulletproof, we wouldn't see the attrition rate we saw back in 84..

But than again nothing, & I mean nothing could be as awesome as seeing the Greens-tuf XE powersliding it's way around that circuit... The Legend could drive a Touring Car that's for sure...
 
D

Doug

Guest
Hey Rob, I am almost 100% sure that the infield still exists - I for one would love to see it reintroduced as Sandown in it's current form bores me to tears. Oh, and what about the World Endurance cars around there -the late Stefan Bellof was a sight to behold in the Rothmans Porsche, as was DJ in the Monza.
 
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Rob 18

New member
Makes you wonder why they don't use it then Doug. If anyone has any replays of that era when they used the long circuit, have a look & see what a difference the layout is..
 
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Beejay

New member
Guys, I definitely do not miss the 'long' circuit.

My memory is of a tight, slow, follow-the-leader procession until the car were able to open up again when they got onto the old circuit. It also turned that curve off the back straight which is one of the fastest in the country, into a hairpin.

I'm sure it was the only way they could lengthen the circuit enough to fit a regulation WEC race. I'm also pretty sure the bitumen is still there, used as access roads by the flaggies.
 
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Rob 18

New member
Watching the 84 500 the other day Beejay, at one stage there was Harvey, Fury & Moffat 3 wide through the infield. It awesome racing through the infield.. Moffat actually passed Harvey & Fury on one corner & then they hit the straight & the little Mazda couldn't keep pace with the other two & they blasted back past.

Maybe they should have started the infield section AFTER the left hander at the end of the back straight, that way we could have had a hairpin at the the end of a very long straight & still incorporate the curve at the end of the back straight as well.

Just a thought...
 
H

Henry

New member
quote:Originally posted by Beejay

Guys, I definitely do not miss the 'long' circuit.
Click to expand...

Ditto here. The site of Lowndes passing two cars into that corner at the end of the back straight (was that corner the old Rothmans Rise in the 70's?) a couple of years back was a breath-taker. The drivers hated the revision IIRC
 
ROB17

ROB17

Super Moderator
Yes I'm sure the infield still exists, but I definitely prefer the short circuit..the Dandenong Rd esses is an exciting piece of bitumen! Back in the Group C and Group A days, the cars had different attributes which were exploited using the long circuit. Some had better brakes, some handled better and some had more power. I'd imagine with todays series being as close as it is, it would present next to no chance of passing and would become a bit of a freight-train.

On a different note, I remember the 1987 Sandown 500 like yesterday. After receiving a much larger Turbo for the Sierra in the August 1 homologation, Dick put the 17 car on pole with a 1:47.59. The car was retired before the race even started on Sunday, so Dick started in the LHD #18 car which qualified mid-field, sharing the drive with Neville Crichton and Neil Lowe. Dick quickly passed everyone to take the lead, the Sierra's raw horsepower an ominous sign for the Holden, Nissan and BMW runners. This was also the meeting when Andrew Miedecke rolled the OXO Sierra in spectacular fashion in qualifying :)
 
ROB17

ROB17

Super Moderator
I think the last time the infield was used was the 1988 Sandown 500. The first race on the short circuit was the 1989 Sandown ATCC race. Johnson lead from start to finish with Brock (also in a Sierra) a close second, with JB finishing 3rd in the #18 Sierra
 
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