Warwick Farm Raceway

Warwick Farm Raceway was a motor racing facility which was in operation from 1960 to 1973. Warwick Farm Raceway hosted numerous major events during its life such as the Australian Grand Prix and rounds of both the Australian Touring Car Championship and the Tasman Series. History Warwick Farm Raceway was built in 1960 on the site of the Warwick Farm Racecourse, a horse racing track with which it was to co-exist throughout its history. When a motor racing meeting was scheduled, two "crossings" had to be placed over the top of the horse racing track, and then removed after racing had finished. The first, known as the Western Crossing, came between turns two and three while the second called the Northern Crossing was located later in the lap between turns 8 and 9. Known as either The Farm or simply Warwick Farm, the circuit became one of Australia's premier motor racing venues and gained a reputation as a "drivers' track", hosting the Australian Grand Prix and rounds of both the Tasman Series, both of which attracted the top Formula One drivers of the day including World Champions Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Jochen Rindt, John Surtees, and Denny Hulme, plus Bruce McLaren, Chris Amon, Piers Courage, Derek Bell and Sydney's own World Drivers' Champion Jack Brabham. The Farm also hosted rounds of the Australian Drivers' Championship which saw the local stars such as Frank Matich, Frank Gardner, Kevin Bartlett, Max Stewart and Leo Geoghegan battling it out. It also staged Australian Touring Car Championship races during its later years which saw top line racing from the likes of Allan Moffat, Pete Geoghegan, Bob Jane and Norm Beechey, with the last major race at Warwick Farm being the final round of the 1973 Australian Touring Car Championship on 15 July (won by Peter Brock) and the final race meeting was a club day held in August 1973. The reason for the closure was financial - the Confederation of Australian Motorsport (CAMS) wanted to have armco fencing installed around the circuit, and the AJC (Australian Jockey Club) wasn't willing to spend the money to upgrade the circuit. Warwick Farm held its first meeting in December 1960. On a wet track, Ian "Pete" Geoghegan won the opening touring car race driving a Jaguar 3.4 Litre. When it closed as a motor racing facility in 1973, the lap record of the 3.621 km (2.250 mi) long Warwick Farm circuit was held by Australian motor racing legend Frank Gardner. Driving a Chevrolet powered Lola T300 Formula 5000 during the 1972 Tasman Series, Gardner set a time of 1:24.0 during the Warwick Farm 100. Gardner finished second in the race he had won in 1971, 18 seconds behind Frank Matich driving his self-designed and built Matich A50 Repco-Holden. Australian Grand Prix Warwick Farm Raceway hosted the Australian Grand Prix a total of four times: International 100 Warwick Farm hosted the annual International 100 from 1961 to 1973: Australian Touring Car Championship Warwick Farm Raceway hosted the single race Australian Touring Car Championship in 1968, and hosted rounds of the championship in 1970, 1972 and 1973. Tasman Series Warwick Farm Raceway hosted a round of the Tasman Series each year from 1964 to 1973. Australian Drivers' Championship Warwick Farm Raceway hosted a round of the Australian Drivers' Championship on 11 occasions. The Hordern Trophy race was named for Sir Samuel Hordern, a businessman who was sent by the AJC (Australian Jockey Club) to investigate how the British venue at Aintree combined car and horse racing. Australian Sports Car Championship Warwick Farm hosted a round of the Australian Sports Car Championship each year from 1969 to 1972. 1969 RAC Trophy – Frank Matich – Matich SR4 Repco 1970 RAC Trophy – Neil Allen – Elfin ME5 Chevrolet 1971 RAC Trophy – John Harvey – McLaren M6 Repco 1972 RAC Trophy – John Harvey – McLaren M6 Repco Australian Manufacturers' Championship Warwick Farm hosted a round of the Australian Manufacturers' Championship in 1971. 1971 – Castrol Trophy – Colin Bond – Holden LC Torana GTR XU-1 Australian Formula Junior Championship Warwick Farm hosted the Australian Formula Junior Championship in 1963. 1963 – Leo Geoghegan – Lotus 22 Ford Australian GT Championship Warwick Farm hosted the Australian GT Championship in 1962. 1962 – Frank Matich – Jaguar D-Type London to Sydney Marathon rally - 1968 Warwick Farm was the venue for the finish of the London-Sydney Marathon. First place went to the Hillman Hunter crewed by Andrew Cowan, Colin Malkin and Brian Coyle. References Notes Bibliography External links "S6 - Rd8 Warwick Farm Pre Race Chat". avm.org.au. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017. "Tasman-Series.com : The 2.5L Tasman Series 1964-69". 1 June 2009. Archived from the original on 1 June 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2017.: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)