Club and Membership Information
2009 CAMS Online Manual of Motorsport
Contains specifications for Group 3J Improved Production Cars
About IPRA Victoria -
Improved Production is one of the fastest growing categories of circuit racing in Australia.
Improved Production cars are defined as 'commercially available touring cars' and are allowed a reasonable level of modification to allow both the racer and the designer room to create an exciting form of race car.
The club is a fully affiliated member of CAMS (the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport), thereby enabling the club (and members of...) entry to CAMS sanctioned motor sport activities.
Each year the Victorian club competes in the Victorian Motor Racing Championships (VMRC for short) with race meetings held at the Phillip Island, Sandown, Calder Park and Winton motor racing circuits.
IPRA is also a popular support category for a number of the V8 Supercar and Konica V8 Rounds held throughout Australia.
National Information -
Each State runs it's own IPRA Championship and once a year, the Improved Production Nationals are held on a rotational basis. There is also an Interstate challenge series run throughout NSW, Victoria and South Australia, giving all competitors the chance to pit their skills against other tracks and drivers!!
National title events are hotly contested and are a form of positive rivalry between the states, to see who is the quickest. Different circuits favour different cars, which promote's a wide range of outcomes for the event. Thus far, Roger Hurd of Tasmania is the only person to have one the title 4 times.
Technical Information -
An Improved Production car could be defined as a modified road car intended for race track use, and is made popular by the fact that it is fast, and relatively inexpensive (as race cars go...) Based on a production body shell, and then carrying out limited modifications to engines, brakes and suspension proved to be a popular formula with both beginners and experienced competitors alike.
You are allowed to install a larger or different engine from the same manufacturer as the body shell, with freedoms permitted with head design, internal specification and capacity. The same style of fittment must remain, though. Popular conversions include late model twin cam 4 cylinder engines into early model 4 cylinder cars, and 13B rotaries into early model mazdas. Turbo's are also often fitted to these engines.
The car can be lowered to within 100mm of the ground (excluding the exhaust), and can change shocks, springs, swaybars and fit urethane bushes.
Wheel width can be 8 inches for vehicles over 3 litres of engine capacity. All Improved Production Cars must run on the same tyre - the Yokohama A032R Race tyre.
Brakes can be anything you like, but must have a dual circuit system.
Close ratio gearboxes are allowed (with a maximum of 5 forward gears) and locked or limited slip differentials are allowed.
Body add on's such as wheel flares, front spoilers and rear spoilers are allowed, but sizes are limited.
All in All, the variety of cars eligable, and the low cost makes it a very accessible category, perfect for young drivers starting their career, and seasoned will still get a good run for their money.
But I Don't currently have a race car?
As an IPRA Vic Member, you can look forward to.....
