Birthplaces of Australian Motor Racing


Book Description

This book records and now preserves the history of Australian motorsport. Huge proportions of it were just on the very edge of being lost. By the time you have read this book, you will be unbeatable at Australian motor racing trivia around any race campground fire pit or BBQ. You will know what the deadliest day was trackside in this country, the speedway promoter who discovered and named one of Australia’s biggest international rock groups, the most extreme financial car racing venue disaster of all time, why many residential roads have names the people who live there don’t appreciate, and what venue built its own railway station which is still in use today. You will discover places worth dragging the family off to so you can take photos of rusting artefacts and sprout knowledgeable but boring nostalgic conversations. You’ll also be amazed at some of the historic car racing locations you’ve unknowingly been driving past. How do you locate old car venues when some were utterly demolished 90 years ago, an industrial complex built on the same spot, which was in turn torn down and replaced with a university, a lake or a multi-storey housing estate? This roll call of mine started out with two simple questions that most petrol heads in this country ask themselves sooner or later. How many car racing facilities have closed in Australia – and why?






















Australian Motor Racing


Book Description







Phillip Island


Book Description

Phillip Island is Australia's home of motorsport. These are the untold stories of a century of racing. There is no other motor-racing circuit in the world with the history of Phillip Island. Since 1928 it has hosted the Australian Grand Prix, the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, the World Superbike Championship, the Armstrong 500 and many other races. Today, the Australian MotoGP attracts tens of thousands to the island every year. It is revered as the world's best MotoGP track and is the second-fastest in the world by just 0.1 km/h. Australia's champions of motorcycle racing are born there. As a motor-racing journalist for more than 45 years, John Smailes has had extraordinary access to Phillip Island and to the leading names who have competed there. When Wayne Gardner, Mick Doohan and Casey Stoner won their championships, John was there. He has delved into the island's rich history, from the winner of the first Australian Grand Prix, Gallipoli hero Captain Arthur Waite, to Australia's F1 world champions Sir Jack Brabham and Alan Jones, and the astonishing political and business dealings over the years. In Phillip Island, John Smailes delivers the definitive account of the circuit, featuring interviews with champions including Valentino Rossi and many others who made it the legend it is today. It's the gripping and untold story of an island unlike any other. 'Phillip Island is my legacy to Australian motorsport. I'm proud to have been part of its development. This book is a must-read.' Wayne Michael Gardner AM 'Still in its original shape, a super circuit for Supercars, world class.' Dick Johnson AM