Edge Rewrite
translate Source code View original
Jump to content

Draft:World Time Attack Challenge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  • Comment: Sources cited are not independent from WTAC. Ca talk to me! 06:23, 27 April 2026 (UTC)


World Time Attack Challenge
VenueSydney Motorsport Park
LocationEastern Creek, New South Wales
Corporate sponsorYokohama
First race2010
Last race2025
Lap record1:17.4440 (Australia Barton Mawer, Porsche 968, 2024)

The World Time Attack Challenge (known as the Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge or WTAC) is a multi-day time attack event held at Sydney Motorsport Park. It is a festival that also features a variety of categories in car culture such as drifting, demonstrations, straight-line racing, car show and a trader alley.

History

[edit]

2008–2009: Superlap Australia

[edit]

The origins of the World Time Attack Challenge can be traced back to the inaugural Yokohama Superlap event held in 2008. Conceived with limited resources and minimal event management experience, the event was organised within a matter of months and marked the beginning of a new era for time attack motorsport in Australia. With support from industry partners and grassroots workshops, the first Superlap attracted 65 competitors from across the country and was hosted at Oran Park Raceway in New South Wales.

The early format featured two primary classes—Open and Clubsprint—culminating in a Superlap shootout, which was won by Peter Lucas driving a supercharged Honda-powered Lotus Exige. Despite its relatively modest and experimental beginnings, the event quickly gained traction, supported by exhibitors and sponsors such as Advan Yokohama, Turbosmart[1], Haltech, and Royal Purple, many of whom would remain long-term partners of the event.

In 2009, the event expanded in scale and professionalism, introducing a Pro Class and attracting more competitive machinery, including Mark Berry’s ADVAN/Hi Octane Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) and the Tilton and Pulse Racing Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution entries. That year’s outright victory was secured by Garth Walden in the Tilton Evolution. The 2009 event also marked the final running at Oran Park Raceway before its closure, adding historical significance to the competition.

2010–Present: World Time Attack Challenge

[edit]

Following the closure of Oran Park Raceway in 2009, the event relocated to Sydney Motorsport Park (then known as Eastern Creek International Raceway) in 2010. This transition marked a significant turning point, both in scale and ambition, as the event was rebranded as the World Time Attack Challenge (WTAC), reflecting its growing international focus.

The introduction of international competitors in 2010 elevated the competition to a global stage. Notably, Nobuteru Taniguchi piloted the HKS CT230R Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, which set a new benchmark for time attack performance and secured overall victory. The presence of established Japanese teams and drivers signalled WTAC’s emergence as a premier destination for elite time attack vehicles and engineering.

Throughout 2011 and 2012, WTAC continued to expand in both participation and technical sophistication. The Pro Class became increasingly competitive, with Australian teams rapidly developing their vehicles to challenge international entrants. Advancements in aerodynamics, tyre technology, and engine performance contributed to progressively faster lap times, reinforcing the event’s reputation as a showcase of cutting-edge time attack engineering.[2] [3] [4] [5]

The event also grew beyond on-track competition, incorporating a larger motorsport festival atmosphere with trade exhibitions, car displays, and spectator engagement. By 2012, WTAC had firmly established itself as a globally recognised event, attracting leading teams from Japan, Australia[6], and other regions, and setting the foundation for its continued evolution as the world’s premier time attack competition.[7]

Between approximately 2013 and 2017, the event entered a period often characterised as an “aerodynamic arms race,” with increasingly extreme vehicle designs emerging[8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

Notable examples included the Scorch Racing Cyber Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, driven by Tarzan Yamada, and the MCA “Hammerhead” Nissan Silvia, driven by Tim Slade. These vehicles featured highly advanced aerodynamic packages and bespoke engineering solutions, contributing to record-breaking performances and international attention.[17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23]

Despite challenges such as event disruptions during the early 2020s, WTAC has remained a prominent fixture in the global time attack calendar. It continues to attract leading teams, drivers, and manufacturers, maintaining its reputation as one of the most competitive and technologically advanced time attack events in the world.[24] [25]

Record-Breaking Event

[edit]

The World Time Attack Challenge has become widely recognised for record-breaking performances at Sydney Motorsport Park, with successive events producing some of the fastest closed-wheel lap times ever recorded at the circuit. In 2019, Barton Mawer set a new benchmark with a 1:19.277 lap[26] in the RP968 Porsche 968, marking one of the fastest laps ever achieved at the venue at the time.[27] [28]

By 2023, Mawer further lowered the outright WTAC lap record to 1:17.8600, establishing the fastest official lap recorded on the Gardner Grand Prix Circuit configuration of Sydney Motorsport Park, beating the previous record held by Nico Hulkenberg in 2007 of 1:19.142.[29] [30] This was followed by another record-break in 2024 where Barton Mawer secured a lap time of 1:17.444.[31] [32]

Winners

[edit]

Pro

[edit]
Year Driver Car Team Time
2010 Japan Tarzan Yamada[33] Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 CyberEvo 1:30.5870
2011 Japan Tarzan Yamada[34] Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 CyberEvo 1:28.8510
2012 Australia Warren Luff[35] Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Nemo Racing 1:25.0200
2013 Australia Garth Walden[36] Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Tilton Racing 1:24.8550
2014 Australia Garth Walden[37] Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Tilton Racing 1:24.8412
2015 Australia Garth Walden[38] Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Tilton Racing 1:23.7770
2016 Australia Tim Slade[39] Nissan Silvia (S13) MCA Suspension 1:22.1920
2017 Australia Tim Slade[40] Nissan Silvia (S13) MCA Suspension 1:20.9710
2018 Australia Barton Mawer[41] Porsche 968 RP968 1:19.8250
2019 Australia Barton Mawer[42] Porsche 968 RP968 1:19.2770
2022 Australia Barton Mawer[43] Porsche 968 RP968 1:20.1010
2023 Australia Barton Mawer[44] Porsche 968 RP968 1:17.8600
2024 Australia Barton Mawer[45] Porsche 968 RP968 1:17.4440
2025 Australia Todd Hazelwood Nissan Silvia (S13) Tanuki Racing 1:18.1690

Pro-Am

[edit]
Year Driver Car Team Time
2013 Australia Mick Sigsworth Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Precision Maintence 1:30.9570
2014 Australia Mick Sigsworth Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 PMQ Racing 1:25.2760
2015 Australia Mick Sigsworth Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 PMQ Racing 1:25.7570
2016 Australia Mick Sigsworth Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 PMQ Racing 1:27.4500
2017 Australia Robert Nguyen Honda Civic 101 Motorsport 1:26.2760
2018 Australia Kosta Pohorukov Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Tilton Racing 1:24.6300
2019 Australia Kosta Pohorukov Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Tilton Racing 1:26.3240
2022 Australia Kosta Pohorukov Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Tilton Racing 1:26.0710
2023 United States Feras Qartoumy Chevrolet Corvette (C7) Qartoumy Racing 1:27.0160
2024 Finland Sami Sivonen Audi R8 1:1 Fat Cat R8 1:24.8320
2025 United States Feras Qartoumy Chevrolet Corvette (C7) Qartoumy Racing 1:23.2690

Pro Open

[edit]
Year Driver Car Team Time
2025 Australia Robert Nguyen Nissan Silvia (S15) Dream Project S15 1:22.2860

Open

[edit]
Year Driver Car Team Time
2010 Australia Steve Glenney Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 Pulse Racing 1:36.4980
2011 Australia Nicholas Kalis Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Nicholas Kalis 1:34.8260
2012 Australia Steve Glenney Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 Dominator Evo 1:30.7260
2013 Australia Dean Lillie Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32) BC Automotive 1:31.7980
2014 Australia Dean Lillie Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) Powertune 1:30.4310
2015 Australia Adam Casmiri Honda Civic JDM Yard 1:30.7010
2016 Australia Nathan Morcom Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Spartan Evo 1:29.2950
2017 Australia Adam Casmiri Honda Civic JDM Yard 1:27.5620
2018 Australia Adam Casmiri Honda Civic JDM Yard 1:27.7500
2019 Australia Brad Shields Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32) XTREMEGTR 1:28.1140
2022 Australia Nathan Morcom Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7 GAS EVO 1:27.2470
2023 Australia Tim Slade Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32) XTREMEGTR 1:25.9260
2024 Australia Robert Nguyen Nissan Silvia (S15) Dream Project S15 1:25.5430
2025 Australia Darren Bishop Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7 GT Evolution 1:26.8190

Clubsprint

[edit]
Year Driver Car Team Time
2010 Australia Nicholas Kalis Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Nicholas Kalis 1:44.3780
2011 Australia Marek Tomaszewski Nissan R35 GT-R Marek Tomaszewski 1:42.4910
2012 Australia Neville Scott Subaru Impreza WRX STI Scorpion AWD 1:38.8600
2013 Australia Jason Wright Subaru WRX STI Process West 1:39.2470
2014 Australia Dan Farquhar Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IS Motor Racing 1:39.9710
2015 Australia Daniel Meredith Honda Civic BYP Racing 1:39.4470
2016 Australia Daniel Meredith Honda Civic BYP Racing 1:39.2740
2017 Australia Jordan Cox Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 IS Motor Racing 1:36.8390
2018 Australia Brett Dickie Honda Integra Elusive Racing 1:38.7560
2019 Australia Jamal Assaad Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 Evolution Racing Spares 1:38.6140
2022 Australia Jamal Assaad Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 Evolution Racing Spares 1:33.7760
2023 Australia Trent Grubel Subaru Impreza WRX STI DC Jap Automotive 1:32.9190
2024 Australia Trent Grubel Subaru Impreza WRX STI DC Jap Automotive 1:32.2340
2025 Australia Alex Michalsky Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 Plazmaman 1:30.7180

Tuner

[edit]
Year Driver Car Team Time
2025 Australia Adam Casmiri Toyota GR Yaris Lamspeed Racing 1:35.4850

Hypercar

[edit]
Year Driver Car Team Time
2025 Australia James Golding Brabham BT62 Van Diemen Family 1:24.3210

R35 Class

[edit]
Year Driver Car Team Time
2014 Japan Nobuteru Taniguchi Nissan R35 GT-R HKS 1:30.8380

Lap Records

[edit]
Class Driver Car Time
Pro Australia Barton Mawer Porsche 968 1:17.4440
Pro Open Australia Robert Nguyen Nissan Silvia (S15) 1:22.2860
Pro AM United States Feras Qartoumy Chevrolet Corvette (C7) 1:23.2690
Hypercar Australia James Golding Brabham BT62 1:24.3210
Open Australia Robert Nguyen Nissan Silvia (S15) 1:25.5430
Clubsprint Australia Alex Michalsky Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 1:30.7180
R35 Class Japan Nobuteru Taniguchi Nissan R35 GT-R 1:30.8380
Tuner Australia Adam Casmiri Toyota GR Yaris 1:35.4850

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Griffiths, Gary (2023-08-23). "World Time Attack - A Walk Down Memory Lane • Turbosmart". Turbosmart. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  2. ↑ Kha, Charles (2011-08-01). "In The Moment >> Smashing the 1:30 barrier". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  3. ↑ Kha, Charles (2011-08-05). "In The Moment>> Cyber Evo Dips Below 1:29, Scorch Breaks Down". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  4. ↑ Kha, Charles (2011-08-06). "Flash Result >> Cyber Evo Defend Their Crown". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  5. ↑ Kha, Charles (2011-08-11). "Behind The Scenes >> Life In The WTAC Pitlane". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-11. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  6. ↑ "Australians Dominate At World Time Attack Challenge 2012". Drive. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  7. ↑ "WTAC 2012 - Archives Speedhunters". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-11. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  8. ↑ "The 2017 WTAC Finals and Unlimited Aero Extremes". Headcount Coffee. 2026-02-20. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  9. ↑ Lord, Brad (2013-10-19). "The Dust Settles At WTAC: Tilton Reigns Supreme". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-14. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  10. ↑ Jones, Blake (2015-10-16). "Welcome Back, WTAC". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-14. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  11. ↑ Jones, Blake (2015-10-17). "Flash Result: Tilton Evo Takes Third WTAC Title". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-14. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  12. ↑ Jones, Blake (2015-10-22). "The Speedhunters WTAC Wrap-Up". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-11. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  13. ↑ Opie, Richard (2015-10-28). "Open Wide & Say Ahh… The Engine Bays Of WTAC". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-11. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  14. ↑ Dalle Carbonare, Dino (2017-08-30). "WTAC 2017 Starts Here". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  15. ↑ Everingham, Matthew (2017-10-12). "World Time Attack Challenge 2017 Is On". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-13. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  16. ↑ Everingham, Matthew (2017-10-24). "Why We Keep Coming Back To WTAC". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  17. ↑ Dalle Carbonare, Dino (2018-09-05). "The Road To WTAC Starts Here". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-12. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  18. ↑ Dalle Carbonare, Dino (2018-10-11). "World Time Attack Challenge: The Pressure Is On". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  19. ↑ Dalle Carbonare, Dino (2018-10-12). "The Times Come Down At WTAC". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  20. ↑ Everingham, Matthew (2018-10-13). "WTAC: The Results Are In…". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  21. ↑ Dalle Carbonare, Dino (2018-10-19). "This One's For The Nerds: The Tech of WTAC". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-14. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  22. ↑ Everingham, Matthew (2018-10-20). "Re-Evaluating Fast At World Time Attack Challenge". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  23. ↑ Everingham, Matthew (2018-10-25). "WTAC: On The Front Line". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  24. ↑ Everingham, Matthew (2022-03-28). "A Sneak Peek At The World Time Attack Challengers". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-08-18. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  25. ↑ Everingham, Matthew (2022-04-09). "The Return Of WTAC". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-08-15. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  26. ↑ "Barton Mawer's Lap Record at Sydney Motorsport Park". Barton Mawer Motorsport. 2019-10-20. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  27. ↑ Everingham, Matthew (2019-10-17). "Time Crunch: The Pressure Of WTAC". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  28. ↑ Everingham, Matthew; Jones, Blake (2019-10-30). "Celebrating 10 Years Of World Time Attack Challenge". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-08-07. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  29. ↑ "SMSP Lap Records". Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  30. ↑ Everingham, Matthew (2023-09-11). "The World Returns For WTAC 2023". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-08-17. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  31. ↑ alain949 (2024-08-31). "EMTRON PRO CLASS - RP968 DOMINATES". World Time Attack. Retrieved 2026-04-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ↑ Everingham, Matthew (2024-09-07). "Blown Away At The 2024 World Time Attack Challenge". Speedhunters. Archived from the original on 2025-08-07. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  33. ↑ "2010 Results | World Time Attack Challenge". World Time Attack. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  34. ↑ "2011 Results | World Time Attack Challenge". World Time Attack. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  35. ↑ "2012 Results | World Time Attack Challenge". World Time Attack. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  36. ↑ "2013 Results | World Time Attack Challenge". World Time Attack. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  37. ↑ "2014 Results | World Time Attack Challenge". World Time Attack. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  38. ↑ "2015 Results | World Time Attack Challenge". World Time Attack. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  39. ↑ "2016 Results | World Time Attack Challenge". World Time Attack. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  40. ↑ "2017 Results | World Time Attack Challenge". World Time Attack. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  41. ↑ "2018 Results | World Time Attack Challenge". World Time Attack. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  42. ↑ "2019 Results | World Time Attack Challenge". World Time Attack. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  43. ↑ "2022 Results | World Time Attack Challenge". World Time Attack. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  44. ↑ "2023 Results | World Time Attack Challenge". World Time Attack. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  45. ↑ "2024 Results | World Time Attack Challenge". World Time Attack. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Draft:World_Time_Attack_Challenge&oldid=1368026178"