VMRC ready for green flag in 2026
Image: Geoff Colson
Round 1 of the Victorian Motor Racing Championship takes place this weekend at Winton Motor Raceway with significant grids and a unique additional session.
Winton Motor Raceway is the spiritual home of the Victorian Motor Racing Championship (VMRC) which is run by the Australian Auto-Sport Alliance sanctioning body.
The opening event from March 20-22 boats a fantastic mixture of car racing categories from V8 powered series to great grass roots championships.
The categories are as follows, Vic V8s, Sports Compact, BMW E30 Racing Series, Victorian Super Tin Tops, Hyundai Excel Racing Victoria Trophy and Masters.
One of the most popular series is Vic V8s, the Victorian championship is open to Holden and Fords from any era. The only rule is they must be fitted with a V8 engine.
As always, this category is not short of numbers, 17 drivers have already entered, and entries remain open.
On the blue oval side, we have everything from an XA Falcon to an AU, on the Holden side we will see VKs up to a VFs.
Notable names you should expect to see up the front are Greg Lynch, Allan Argento and Mark Kakouri.
Sports Compact returns in 2026 after an incredibly successful campaign last year, the entry numbers have grown even more in the off-season with at least 17 expected to compete.
All of the regular frontrunners are attending including Lynda Devlin in her JCW Mini, Steve Howard in his Toyota Corolla, Neil Chesterton in a Renault Clio and James Harris driving his Nissan Bluebird.
New names include Chris Kelly in an 86, Andrew Kearns in a Corolla and Claudia Lennox in a Fiat.
Despite large numbers in the Hyundai Excel classes the youngsters in Trophy and elder-statemen in Masters will share the track. In total 30 Excels will be on track together, expect plenty of action across the four races.
The one make BMW E30 Racing Series and Victorian Super Tin Tops round out the list of categories.
All categories have a total of four races across the course of the weekend.
Additionally, the opening round of the VMRC will debut the One Lap Shootout Challenge on Sunday morning.
The format is as follows, in each category the top three point scorers from the combined results of Race 1 and Race 2 will compete in the One Lap Shootout.
Similar to that of a Top 10 Shootout, the driver with the fastest single lap time is the winner. But rather than earning pole position, the victor will be rewarded with a 50% discount on their next VMRC entry and a free garage of their choice at the next VMRC event (both of these offers exclude The Bend round.)
Each category manager also has the option to randomly draw three additional competitors from a hat to participate in a one-lap bonus shootout. The winner of this second shootout will receive a complimentary Test & Tune entry at Winton Raceway.
There will also be a free Saturday Night barbeque for all VMRC competitors, crew members, and families from 5.30pm until 7.00pm.
As part of the BBQ, Marcos Ambrose, the AASA’s Competition & Commercial Director, will conduct a Q&A session to discuss upcoming circuit racing developments, outline key changes under AASA, and provide insight into plans and initiatives for the 2026 season.
The session gives competitors the opportunity to ask questions and share feedback.
The full event schedule can be found here
It is not too late to compete in Round 1 of the VMRC, simply click here to enter. To compete in Friday practice click here.