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HISTORY
Parramatta City Raceway was
the brainchild of former driver Sid Hopping and rose out of
the ground to host its first practice session in January
1977.
Sid was no newcomer to the sport and rode sidecars to great
success in the sixties before trading in his leathers for a
16mm movie camera. He shot all of the classics for
television news and sports before taking up modified racing
at which he truly excelled.
From the Marshall Sargent modified to his Jim Culbert CAE
special, the dices between Garry Rush in the ex Johnny
Anderson sprinter and Sid Hopping were just superb.
Sid and his partner Bert Wilder operated Parramatta City
Raceway as a Friday night venue for a decade. The first
event for modified sprintcars was won by Bob Blacklaw, but
the writing was on the wall for sprinters - they were the
emerging category!
Sid and Bert sold their PCR interests to Bob Ruttley who made
major improvements to the venue before selling out to Garry
Rush who took on David Lander as a partner six months later.
Back in 1989 Lander took over PCR as a sole trader.
The
former modified driver sold out to International Speedway
Pty Limited on 15 May 2001 and the Directors of the new
company have invested over 2 million dollars in facility
improvements over the past four years. That investment will
continue in the coming years.
The 460 metre banked oval is known as Australia's premier
Speedway venue and is one of the fastest in Australia with
West Australian Ryan Farrell setting a new outright record of 11.615 seconds
on the 9th of September, 2007.
Australian Tyre giant, Tyrepower signed a three year
agreement in July 2005 for the naming rights of 'Tyrepower
Parramatta City Raceway'.
Tyrepower Parramatta City
Raceway has hosted the Australian
championship and many Nationals since 1988, but the jewel in
the crown was announced in 2003 when International Speedway
announced it's intentions to bring the 'World of Outlaws',
America's premier Sprintcar series to Australia.
The best in the world finally arrived at Australia's home of
Sprintcar racing in the year 2004 when Parramatta City
Raceway hosted the first ever 'Outlaws Downunder', the World
famous World of Outlaws troupe including legends Steve
Kinser and Sammy Swindell as well as thirteen other American
superstars.
Parramatta Superstar Kerry Madsen took it up to the world's
best when he won both preliminary nights before 'The King of
the Outlaws'
Steve Kinser, won the Inaugural Outlaws Downunder.
The second Outlaws Downunder event was held at Parramatta
City Raceway on January the 13th, 14th and 15th 2005 in
which a record 24 American and some 46 Australian Sprintcars
were entered.
In 2008 the 5th version of
the 'East Coast Pipeline Outlaws Downunder' was run with the
final night being won by Sydney's own Robbie Farr.
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