MOTOR TRACK GUIDE
“WINTON? IT’S LIKE running a marathon around your clothesline”. It’s a slapstick one-liner from the infamously unfiltered Dick Johnson to Channel Seven’s Mike Raymond in 1990. But back in those days, when Dick was piloting a firebreathing Ford Sierra around the 2.03km layout, it was apt.
Yet, the track nestled in bushranger territory between the Victorian towns of Glenrowan and Benalla isn’t a backyard job. From the founding of the Benalla Auto Club in 1957 to the public approval of a circuit to be built on the Winton Recreation Reserve three years later, there’s lots of history. Racing has been constant since the first meeting in November 1961.
That means it’s time to celebrate its 60th anniversary. It’s a venue that has seen the likes of James Hunt compete as well as providing Peter Brock, Alan Jones and Allan Moffat their first races. The track and facilities have received various updates, too., the most significant being the $1.1m addition in 1997 to create the 3.0km National Circuit we have today.
Winton presents a
