This weekend marks the 10th running of the Deputy.com Wakefield 300 endurance race at the nation’s spectator track, Wakefield Park Raceway. Since its inception in 2008, the Wakefield 300 has grown into one of the nation’s most popular endurance races, typically attracting fields of 40 or more cars.
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The event is targeted at club and state-level competitors, providing an affordable environment for drivers who want to experience the strategic and teamwork elements of endurance racing.
Unlike other endurance races where vehicles are divided into classes based on their mechanical specifications, the Wakefield 300 division system allocates cars into divisions based on their lap-times, allowing a wide variety of machinery to compete on a level playing field. As a result, the race always attracts a diverse array of entries, from bespoke sports cars like the Lotus Elise and Ginetta G50, to production cars including Mitsubishi Evos and Subaru WRXs, all the way to Nissan Pulsars and Hyundai Excels.
While the drivers may not be household-name, there are often names and cars with links to major national racing events of the past and the event has a history of close and entertaining racing and plenty of thrills and spills.
Notable entries include defending winners, father/son team Craig/Adam Burgess in their Ginetta G50. Event sponsor Deputy.com has entered a Lotus Elise for another father/son team, Steve/Jake Shelley. Jake has won the event three times.
Other former winner suiting up are Shane Otten, who will be joined by Zac Raddatz in a Mazda MX5 turbo. At 15 years old, Raddatz is the youngest driver to start the 300. Daniel Flanagan (Nissan 180SX) and Parry Anastakis (Peugeot 205 GTI) are both in their 10th Wakefield 300. Former Dunlop V8 Supercar Series competitor Daniel Jilesen is in a Mazda MX5 with Lisa Montgomerie.
Practice, qualifying and the Top 10 Shootout will be held on Saturday, February 25 with the race on Sunday. Support categories are Series X3 NSW for Hyundai Excel race cars, Super TT and Legend Cars.
