The definitive pre-arrival guide to Sydney Motorsport Park. Licences, machine
preparation, safety gear, noise, scrutineering and your first morning — every
box you tick here is one less thing to think about at Gate A.
No competition licence, no race car, no track record required —
a current road licence starts both paths. Pick yours and the whole page prepares with you.
Drivers
Track days · Track nights · Experiences
Path A
Licence floor
A current P1 (red P-plate) licence or above — sighted at registration, every time.
Groups
Self-graded by seat time at this circuit:
Beginner · under 3 daysIntermediate · 3+Advanced · 5+Race Car
Your car
Roadworthy and registered or registrable in Australia for the road-car groups. Race
cars run their own session.
Sharing
Up to two drivers per car on track days. Passengers are not permitted.
Riders
Ride days · Ride nights · First timers
Path B
Licence floor
A current provisional motorcycle licence or above. Learner permits are turned away
at the gate — no exceptions.
Age
16 and over to ride. Under-18s bring a non-riding guardian and stay out of pit
lane while the track is hot.
Groups
Colour-graded on the day, regraded if the pace says so:
C · SlowB · MediumB1 · Med-FastA · Fast
First lap ever?
The First Timers Program runs free at every ride day — an extra briefing and an
escorted first lap behind staff.
Gate 02 · Licence & experienceCleared
Road licence in,race licence out.
Nobody needs a competition licence to start — and everybody who
holds one started exactly here. Five rungs, in order, from your wallet to a race grid.
01No competition licence
Turn up and drive
The licence already in your pocket is the entire entry requirement — and it stays that way for as long as you want it to.
1 rung · valid today
Road licence
Rung 01 · road licence only
Track days and ride days run on the licence already in your pocket — P1+ for cars, provisional+ for bikes. No memberships, no medicals, no lap-time CV.
Today, with your wallet
02Entry-level competition
Start competing
Two ways into a timed event, both issued without leaving your desk, and both counting toward the licence above.
2 rungs · minutes online
One-event licence
Rung 02 · one meeting · clubs or online
Taste a timed event without committing: single-event permits cover one meeting — issued through clubs on the car side, online for bikes — and count toward proving competency later.
Speed licence
Rung 03 · from 15 · juniors from 12
The supersprint ticket — applied for online in minutes with a self-declared medical. From 15 for speed events, junior versions from 12. Unlocks Night Sprints here.
Before your first sprint
03Full race licence
Go racing
The practical exam, then the licence that puts you on a grid alongside everyone else who started at rung 01.
2 rungs · sat at SMSP
Observed Licence Test
Rung 04 · sat at SMSP · Advanced group
Racing's practical exam, sat on this circuit: instructors observe you in the Advanced group of a normal track day. Bring the Motorsport Australia pre-licence paperwork and a car with a passenger seat.
Circuit racing licence
Rung 05 · provisional for three events
Door-to-door racing — provisional until you finish three race events. Riders reach the same rung through a Senior National licence from 16, juniors from 12 via the Kick Start pathway.
Door to door
Gate 03 · Your machineCleared
Cleared in the garage,not in the queue.
Every box below is checked at home in minutes — and checked at
the circuit the hard way. Tick as you go; this page remembers your progress on this device.
Path A · Cars
The car
0 of 6 cleared
Checklist · Driving Solutions course information
Path B · Bikes
The bike
0 of 6 cleared
Checklist · MEGA scrutineering standard
Gate 04 · Safety gearCleared
Dress for the speedyou're hoping for.
Gear is the one requirement checked twice — at sign-on and at
every session entry. Here's what passes, and what gets left in pit lane.
Path A Drivers
Helmet — AS1698 or better
Australian-standard rated, securely fastened. A limited fleet of hire helmets can be
booked ahead if yours is still on the shelf.
Mandatory
Ankle-to-wrist clothing
Long sleeves and long pants, natural fibres for preference — race suits only become
compulsory in open-wheelers.
Mandatory
Closed, flat-soled shoes
Something you can feel a brake pedal through. Heels, thongs and sandals are refused at
sign-on — genuinely, every event.
Mandatory
Path B Riders
Full-face helmet
AS1698-rated or equivalent, worn whenever the bike is moving — pit lane and paddock
included, not just on circuit.
Mandatory
Full leathers, zipped together
Leather jacket and pants that zip securely into one piece — or a one-piece suit.
Textiles and Kevlar jeans don't pass, full stop.
Mandatory
Leather gauntlet gloves
Overlapping the jacket sleeve — wrist-length gloves are refused. Armoured knuckles are
strongly recommended.
Mandatory
Mid-calf armoured boots
Hard ankle support, overlapping the pants so no skin shows. A back protector isn't
mandatory — wear one anyway.
Mandatory
No gear yet? Hire helmets are bookable for
car days, and full riding kit — bike included, if you like — hires by the day on the ride-day side.
Sort it when you book, not at the gate.
Gate 05 · ComplianceCleared
The rules thecircuit runs on.
Noise is measured — and enforced
This circuit works inside a real neighbourhood, so every event carries a noise limit and
exceeding it ends your day early. Limits are event-specific: confirm yours with the operator
when you book, especially with an aftermarket exhaust.
Circuit hours06:30 – 18:00 · 22:30 under lights
Ride days — engines offUntil 09:00 · clear by 17:30
Limit for your eventConfirmed at booking
Scrutineering, both paths
Every bike is inspected every morning and wears its sticker before session one — each extra
bike is checked separately. Cars self-prepare against Gate 03 and can be inspected on the day,
so arrive with the checklist already true — and enough fuel in the tank to reach scrutineering.
BikesSticker before session one
CarsSelf-prepared, spot-checked
Cameras & timing gearDeclared & double-mounted
Flag school — sixty seconds, once, forever
Eight flag points ring the circuit. Learn these before your briefing and
the briefing becomes revision.
GreenTrack clear — session live. Flown at every point for the first
two laps.
YellowHazard ahead — slow down. No passing while any yellow is
out.
RedSession stopped. Safe pace, no overtaking, leave at the first
exit — never run the red.
BlackPointed at you: something's wrong with machine, gear or driving.
Report to course control at pit exit.
BlueFaster traffic behind. Hold your line, stay predictable, let
them plan the pass.
ChequeredSession over — cool-down lap, then pit entry between Turns 11
and 12.
2 m minimum gap when passing on ride days — the passing rider owns it
60 km/h pit lane, one way · 20 km/h in the paddock
Passing rules for your group are set at the morning briefing
Commit these four
Four numbers runyour whole day.
Forget everything else on this page if you must — but arrive
knowing these. They're the ones enforced from the flag points and the pit-lane exit.
0Graded groups every session — Beginner to Race Car, or C to A on the bike side
0Flag points ring the circuit — one is always in your eyeline
0km/hPit lane, one way — 20 km/h once you're in the paddock
0mMinimum passing gap on ride days — the passing rider owns it
Gate 06 · Before you arriveCleared
Your first morning,minute by minute.
Late arrivals miss briefings, and missed briefings cost track
time. Pick your day and put these times in your phone tonight.
07:30
Through Gate A400 Ferrers Road — park in the pit
paddock. Afternoon groups arrive by 12:00.
07:45
Registration & sign-onFirst level above the pit
garages. Licence sighted — no licence, no laps.
08:00
Compulsory briefingMiss it and you wait for the
next one — your track time won't wait with you.
08:30
First sessionSighting laps at learning pace, then
the day opens up group by group.
06:30
Through Gate APit in any open garage — bikes only
in garages, cars and trailers stay out.
07:00
Sign-on & scrutineeringLicence checked, group
wristband on, bike inspected and stickered.
08:00
Safety briefingDone online beforehand, stamped on
your wristband — checked at every session entry.
08:30
Group C rolls firstSix 20-minute sessions each;
engines quiet before 09:00, venue clear by 17:30.
18:00
Latest arrivalGates and registration close before
the light does — don't cut it fine.
18:15
Compulsory briefingRoad-registered cars only
tonight, one driver per car.
18:30
Under the towersAlternating 15-minute sessions —
127 LED towers, 800 lux on the straight.
22:30
CurfewThe venue's night licence ends here, every
time — no extensions.
06:30
Gates openGarages and carports free, first in
best dressed. Bring your competition licence.
08:00
Briefing doneGroups split by licence and machine
type — Speed or Circuit licence for cars, Senior National for bikes.
08:30
Rotations begin20-minute rotations all day — test,
tune, repeat.
17:00
Pack-downTransponders back, garages swept, times
saved for next time.
Gate 07 · Pick your dayCleared
Every way ontothis circuit.
One register, every entry requirement. Your path is lit; the other
stays a glance away.
Course Information PackArrival times · run sheet · circuit mapWith Your Booking
Rider Safety BriefingSign online before your day · stamped at the gateWith Your Booking
Rules move with the calendar — your booking confirmation is
always the current edition.
You're cleared
Now learn thecircuit itself.
Requirements sort out the gate — the racing line sorts out the
lap. Watch a guided lap, walk the corners by name, day or night, and arrive knowing where the
braking markers live.
No — a current P1 or better road licence covers every graded track-day
group, and it's sighted at registration. Competition licences only enter the picture for
timed events like Night Sprints and Private Practice; the ladder at Gate 02 shows the
whole climb.
No — ride days start at a provisional motorcycle licence and 16 years
old, and learner permits are turned away at the gate. The good news: the free First
Timers Program means the day you're licensed is the day you're welcome.
No — full leathers that zip together (or a one-piece suit) are the
minimum, with gauntlet gloves and mid-calf boots. Textiles and Kevlar don't pass. If the
wardrobe's short, full kit hires by the day — arrange it when you book.
No — the road-car groups want a roadworthy, registered (or registrable)
car with fresh fluids, sound brakes and an empty cabin. Cages, harnesses and slicks
belong to the Race Car session and the competition ladder, not your first track day.
You wait for the next one — briefings are compulsory, no exceptions, and
the sessions you miss while waiting don't come back. Arrive by the Gate 06 times and the
problem never exists.
Friends yes, passengers no. Spectators are welcome in the marked areas
(free on weekdays), but passenger seats stay empty at track days and track nights, and
under-18s leave pit lane once the track is hot. On ride days, support crews park outside
the garages.
Sydney Motorsport Park
ARDC
