// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the 2000 Canberra 400 say to the road? "You're always racing to the finish line, but I've got a track record.
| Event Information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 6 of 13 in the 2000 Shell Championship Series | ||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||
| Date | 9–11 June 2000 | |||||||||||||
| Location | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | |||||||||||||
| Venue | Canberra Street Circuit | |||||||||||||
| Weather | Overcast | |||||||||||||
| Results | ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
The 2000 Canberra 400 (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2000 GMC 400) was the sixth round of the 2000 Shell Championship Series and the inaugural running of the Canberra 400 event. It was held on the weekend of 9 to 11 June on the Canberra Street Circuit in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.
The tight, twisty nature of the brand-new street circuit invoked chaos throughout the weekend. The first race was won by Greg Murphy after starting 14th on the grid. Todd Kelly claimed his first V8 Supercar victory by winning the reverse grid race, and Craig Lowndes won the final race with Holden Racing Team teammate Mark Skaife following a close second in a formation finish. Despite not winning any races and only scoring one podium, Steven Richards' consistency netted him the overall round victory honours.[1]
Background
[edit]The event was held on the weekend of 9 to 10 June 2001. It was the first V8 Supercar event to be held on the streets of Canberra, and consisted of two 100 km races followed by a 200 km final which would reward double points. Pitstops were compulsory for all races. Race two would feature a reverse grid race.
After seeing the benefits drawn from the Adelaide 500 event, the ACT government saw fit to bring the V8 Supercar series to the nations capital.[2] The governing body AVESCO offered Canberra a five-year opportunity to stage a round of the V8 Supercars. Initially called the National Capital 100[3], the race was to be run inside the Parliamentary Triangle which created some debate in the media about the appropriateness of the event for Canberra in general, and for the zone in particular. In 1999, the then Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory, Kate Carnell put forward the idea to the ACT Legislative Assembly based on the success of the Adelaide 500.[4] The Assembly voted to stage the event, with the only opposition coming from the Greens Party who believed that the race would create both air and noise pollution.[citation needed]
The Assembly voted to appropriate A$4.5million in capital works and A$2.5million for recurrent expenditure over five years to operate the event. This included the creation and removal of the concrete barriers that lined the circuit. Canberra Tourism and Events Corporation (CTEC) were given the responsibility of delivering the GMC 400 on time and within budget.
Entry list
[edit]There were 32 drivers entered into the event. Four entrants (Alan Heath, Paul Romano, Mike Imrie and Peter Doulman) from the previous round in Darwin would not enter the event.
Race report
[edit]Qualifying
[edit]Mark Larkham secured provisional pole position with a time three tenths clear of nearest competitor, Craig Lowndes. John Bowe initially qualified seventh but his time was disallowed after incurring a technical infringement and thus was required to start the first race from the rear of the grid.
Top fifteen shootout
[edit]Race 1
[edit]Race 2 (Reverse grid)
[edit]Race 3
[edit]Championship standings
[edit]
|
|
References
[edit]- ↑ "Canberra chaos: When Supercars stormed the capital". V8 Sleuth. 16 May 2026. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
- ↑ "Abandoned racetracks: Canberra". Australian Muscle Car Magazine. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
- ↑ "Power politics: Canberra gets a street race". Drive.com.au. 2 October 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- ↑ "Canberra 2000-2002". Australian Muscle Car. 1 October 2018.
- 1 2 3 "2000 Shell V8 Supercars GMC 400 (Race 1)". Racing Years. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
- ↑ "2000 Shell V8 Supercars GMC 400 (Race 2)". Racing Years. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
- ↑ "2000 Shell V8 Supercars GMC 400 (Race 3)". Racing Years. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
| Supercars Championship | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous race: 2000 V8 Supercars Darwin round |
2000 Supercars Championship | Next race: 2000 V8 Supercars Ipswich round |
| Previous year: none |
Canberra 400 | Next year: 2001 Canberra 400 |