F1’s Lost Circuits - Australia

in HISTORY by admin — March 27, 2010 at 11:41 am | 1 comment

F1’s Lost Circuits – Australia

As with pretty much everything else in Formula 1, circuit history is far more complicated than it needs to be. The easy option is to cover only those circuits that have been used in World Championship events, otherwise the list is endless. But then there’s the history of that restricted list of circuits, and the racing that happened before the F1 circus decided it wanted to join in on all the fun.

The good news for Australia is that there’s only one lost circuit in F1 terms – only Adelaide and Melbourne have hosted F1 World Championship races, and Albert Park’s got the contract for the moment. The country’s first official race to be called a Grand Prix took place in 1928, although there was an Australian race run along similar lines believed to have been run somewhere near Sydney in 1927. While the 1928 event had very little to do with circuit racing as we know it, it is worth remembering for history’s sake.

Much like Albert Park, Victoria’s Phillip Island circuit was a temporary street track. In March 1928, Phillip Island played host to what was called the 100 Miles Road Race, and drivers competed on a circuit approximately six miles in length. The fastest lap that day was 5 minutes and 47 seconds, a record set by Tom Peters behind the wheel of a Bugatti T37A averaging 81mph.

Phillip Island was home to the bulk of Australian Grands Prix until the late 1930s, when other circuits began to get a look in. All Australian GPs were non-championship events until 1985, but (war years aside) major circuit races called Grands Prix were held annually in Australia from 1928 onwards. Victor Harbour, Bathurst, and Lobethal hosted the final three pre-war races.

When racing resumed in 1946, it was hosted by a different circuit nearly every year: Mount Panorama, near Bathurst (1947, 1952, 1958); Point Cook (1948); Leyburn (1949); Nuriootpa (1950); Narrogin (1951); Albert Park (1953, 1956); Southport (1954); Port Wakefield (1955); Caversham (1957, 1962); Longford (1959, 1965); Lowood (1960); Mallala (1961); Warwick Farm (1963, 1967, 1970, 1971); Sandown (1964, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1978); Lakeside (1966, 1969); Oran Park (1974, 1977); Surfers Paradise (1975); Wanneroo (1979); and Calder (1980-84).

While not world championship events, any F1 fan would find a familiar face or two among the list of entrants of Australian Grands Prix: Niki Lauda, Alan Jones, Alain Prost, Chris Amon, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Bruce McLaren, and Stirling Moss all competed in one or more of the races listed above.

In 1985, the Australian Grand Prix got the Bernie Ecclestone seal of approval, and a Formula 1 World Championship event was born. From the very beginning, the race at Adelaide was guaranteed attention. It was given the final slot on the calendar, and was to be former champion Niki Lauda’s last race. But no one expected that only 8 drivers would finish the race, and that from a field of 25. F1 Australia had started as it meant to go on.

The 1986 race has become the stuff of Formula 1 legend. The ‘86 season had been a hard fought battle, and three men were championship contenders when the curtain rose on the final race: Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet, and Alain Prost. Mansell qualified on pole but started badly, and was back in fourth place by the end of a single lap. On lap 63, retirements and position changes had elevated Piquet into first place with Mansell just behind – a result that would see the Englishman take the championship. One lap later, and Nigel Mansell’s championship hopes had burst with his tyre, leaving the competition to Piquet and Prost. The Frenchman drove on to victory and secured his second WDC.

Whatever happened in Adelaide, it was going to be exciting – it wasn’t until 1991 that the city hosted a race where half the field made it to the chequered flag, and that was only because the 1991 Australian GP was the shortest race in F1 history. Due to a deluge, time was called on lap 14. Until the action moved to Melbourne in 1996, the Australian GP would traditionally see more retirements than race finishes.

In its eleven-year history the Adelaide circuit went through three configurations. Each was the scene of thrilling racing, with the combination of long straights and sharp corners making for nail-biting on-track action. Monaco might have the legacy, but Adelaide is the template for a great street circuit

Kate Walker.