2011 Australian Manufacturers' Championship

rdf:langString 2011 Australian Manufacturers' Championship

rdf:langString The 2011 Australian Manufacturers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing championship for car manufacturers. It was the 26th manufacturers title to be awarded by CAMS and the 17th to be contested under the Australian Manufacturers' Championship name. The championship, which was open to modified production touring cars, also incorporated three drivers titles, the 2011 Australian Production Car Championship, the 2011 Australian Production Car Endurance Championship and the 2011 Australian Endurance Championship. A major change from the 2010 championship saw a greater emphasis on longer races. Only the opening round of the series at Phillip Island comprising two short sprint races. Two rounds were extended into a six-hour endurance race format. The increased emphasis on endurance races saw the return of the long-running Sandown 500 event, last run for V8 Supercars in 2007. Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi won the Australian Manufacturers Championship, Stuart Kostera won the Australian Production Car Championship, Kostera and Ian Tulloch won the Australian Endurance Championship and the same pairing won the Australian Production Car Endurance Championship. Defending Australian Production Car Champion, Western Australian Mitsubishi Lancer Evo driver Stuart Kostera dominated the series, winning six races and four rounds with a second position in the final race of the year at Eastern Creek. The result was so impressive, Kostera's part-time co-driver New Zealander Ian Tulloch finished second in the championship. In a clean sweep for Mitsubishi Lancer Evo drivers, Jim Pollicina finished third. The first non-Mitsubishi driver was Queenslander driver Jake Camilleri Mazda 3 in fourth. The final race of the year, the Eastern Creek Six Hour, was the only race not won by Kostera. It was won by the BMW 335i of Chaz Mostert and Nathan Morcom.