Perth at 100 races: The best races

With Wanneroo set to become the first circuit in ATCC/Supercars history to host 100 championship races next weekend, Supercars.com takes a look at some of the biggest stories and moments from the beloved Perth venue.

Wanneroo Raceway, now known as CARCO.com.au Raceway, has played host to some of the most intense battles seen in the Repco Supercars Championship over more than half a century.

Over six different sets of regulations, the 2.42km circuit north of Perth has garnered a reputation for door-to-door action and spectacular battles, some of which have become lauded in the storied history of Australian touring car racing.

Supercars.com takes a look back at some of the best races to ever be held at Wanneroo.

Race 1: Moffat wins epic Perth opener

Year: 1973

Winner: Allan Moffat

1973 played host to the first-ever round of the ATCC to be held in Western Australia, contested by a small field of 15 cars, many of whom were local WA competitors. The likes of Allan Moffat, Peter Brock, Ian 'Pete' Geoghegan, and John Goss all made the trip over, however it was Moffat and Brock who would wow the crowd. Moffat bolted into the lead off the start, however Brock would fly through the field after a poor start, and had a run on Moffat exiting the final corner. At the finish line, which was then on the run to Kolb Corner, Moffat had just 0.6 seconds on Brock, with Moffat taking to the dirt to hold on.

Race 10: Moffat's final career win

Year: 1984

Winner: Allan Moffat

11 years later, and the Group C era that began in 1973 was coming to a close, and Moffat was still a contender, but this time in very different machinery. Moffat would taste victory once again in Perth, this time driving the screaming rotary-powered Mazda RX-7 to a crushing victory, beating Brock's HDT Commodore VH by 19.37s in a thumping lights-to-flag win. The win would prove historic, as it would be the four-time champion's 36th and final championship race victory.

Race 29: Perkins holds on in Perth's closest finish

Year: 1997

Winner: Larry Perkins

The first race of the V8 Supercar era in Perth was a wet-weather thriller dictated by the fierce tyre wars of the 1990s. In a race that started wet, Holden Racing Team duo Greg Murphy and Brock led the way early on their Bridgestones, but Dunlop-shod Larry Perkins and John Bowe scythed through the field from 12th and eighth on the grid as the track dried. Bowe looked set to storm to victory, however Perkins was dogged in defence, no matter how hard Bowe threw his Falcon at Perkins, with the Castrol Commodore hanging on by just 0.116s.

Race 54: Skaife and Ambrose collide

Year: 2005

Winner: Steven Richards

The lead charges for Holden and Ford at the time, Mark Skaife and Marcos Ambrose had been involved in a vigorous battle in the first race of the 2005 Perth weekend, but things boiled over to start Sunday. Ambrose crowded Skaife on the run to Turn 1, and the HRT Commodore didn't yield. The two came to blows, with Skaife left buried in the sand and forced to retire, whilst Ambrose was slapped with a drive-through penalty for his part in the incident. Steven Richards inherited the win after the Lap 1 clash.

Race 59: Tander wins at home

Year: 2007

Winner: Garth Tander

It took 59 races for a homegrown talent to claim victory in Perth, with Garth Tander claiming victory in the 2007 opener. Having first appeared with Garry Rogers Motorsport in 1998, Tander had become a title contender since joining the HSV Dealer Team in 2005, and 2007 would be the year it all came together. Qualifying on pole, Tander never looked like losing the lead throughout the 50-lapper, with the win his first of five on the trot that set up his only championship victory.

Race 68: Reindler's fireball mars BJR's breakthrough

Year: 2011

Winner: Jason Bright

One of the most frightening scenes in the history of the Supercars Championship, Karl Reindler's stationary Brad Jones Racing Commodore was collected by Steve Owen on the grid. Perth local Reindler escaped with burns to his hands and face, whilst Owen miraculously climbed out of his Commodore without injury. When the race restarted, BJR's heartbreak turned into joy as Jason Bright claimed the team's first-ever championship victory in his first season at the helm of the #8 Commodore that had previously been driven by Jason Richards.

Race 72: "Get him or have him off"

Year: 2012

Winner: Will Davison

One year later, Perth played host to one of the most thrilling last lap battles in the history of the Supercars Championship. Will Davison led in the dying laps of Sunday's finale, but was struggling home on worn Soft tyres, with Jamie Whincup and Ford Performance Racing teammate Mark Winterbottom crushing the margin on Hard tyres. The trio swapped paint on the final lap, almost going three wide out of the first corner, and despite engineer Mark Dutton's call to Whincup to, "Get him or have him off," Davison held on, with Winterbottom muscling by into second at the final corner.

Race 73: Lowndes breaks Skaife's record

Year: 2013

Winner: Craig Lowndes

The opening race of the following year, the first Gen2 race held at Wanneroo, saw Skaife's time as the most winningest Supercars driver of all-time come to an end. It was former teammate Craig Lowndes who jumped to the top of the tree in 2013, moving from fourth to first to claim his 91st career victory. Lowndes would later become the first driver to win 100 races at Darwin in 2015, and currently sits second on the all-time win list on 110 wins, 15 behind Jamie Whincup on 125.

Race 82: Lowndes' miracle strategy

Year: 2016

Winner: Craig Lowndes

The opening race of the 2016 Perth event started in wet conditions, however the track quickly dried and most of the field made their switch to dry tyres about 10 laps in, completing a 40 lap stint home. Lowndes bucked the trend, with engineer Ludo Lacroix bringing the #888 back into the lane with 22 laps to go. The three-time champion re-entered the track in 22nd position, and proceeded to mow down everyone in front of him, going from 22nd to first in just 18 exhilarating laps to claim a stunning win.

Race 93: SVG vs Kostecki

Year: 2023

Winner: Shane van Gisbergen

The first race of the Gen3 era in Perth proved to be an all-time classic, as a local boy took on a champion at the absolute peak of his powers. It was trademark Shane van Gisbergen, as he pitted late and made the most of fresher tyres, however Brodie Kostecki wasn't going to go down without a fight in front of his home crowd. The two Camaros traded blows several times in the final few laps, however the Kiwi was able to bully his way past at Kolb Corner on the penultimate lap, and was able to claim victory with a bruised Red Bull #97.