Understanding WTAC: History

Time Attack, also known as Superlap originated in Japan in the 1980s as a proving ground for street-tuned cars built by highly respected tuning companies. Time attack enjoyed a quick rise in popularity and soon tuner shops started developing purpose-built time attack race cars. Within a short period of time time attack format has spread throughout the world, with USA, UK, New Zealand and Australia all hosting their own national events.

World Time Attack Origins

The beginnings of the World Time Attack Challenge can be traced back to a local event, held at Sydney’s now defunct Oran Park Raceway.

Superlap Australia held its national time attack events in 2008 and 2009 but as the interest and participation in the format grew, Superlap’s CEO, Ian Baker saw an opportunity to create a brand new event on a scale previously unseen in the sport of time attack.

A plan was drafted to create a truly international event where the best of international time attack teams are invited compete on the same track at the same time and at the same event. In this format, the teams represent not just the tuning shops behind the car but also their country. All for the glory of being crowned the World Time Attack Champion.

Attack Mode Engaged

The inaugural Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge was held in 2010 at the Eastern Creek Raceway (now Sydney Motorsport Park) and proved to be a huge success. It was the first time the likes of PanSpeed, CyberEvo, R-Magic, Cusco, Hi Octane Racing and Sierra Sierra competed against each other at one event.

The response from the participants, sponsors, exhibitors, spectators and the media was phenomenal and surpassed everyone’s expectations. That year, the event also won the Speedhunters’ Event Of The Year – a poll voted on by the Speedhunters readers.

Going Global

The success of the inaugural WTAC propelled the event forward with the attendance, participants and fans growing in numbers each year. The event was not only growing bigger but also faster with outright lap records falling every single year. In fact, the outright tin top lap record at Sydney Motorsport Park has been broken at WTAC every year since 2010.

2014 saw the introduction of WTAC Live Stream bringing the event to hundreds of thousands of time attack fans around the world and expanding the WTAC brand across all geographical boundaries.