After the trauma and dislocation of World War II, motorsport in NSW resumed surprisingly quickly. A hillclimb was conducted on part of the Mount Panorama circuit in January, 1946, and the full circuit was used for a race meeting in October. That was a whole five years after the circuit last saw any racing action.
Then in 1950, ARDC foundation member Belf Jones took out a lease on the wartime airstrip at Mount Druitt, west of Sydney. Large drums were used to separate the cars (running in each direction on the strip) and form a long oval. Sometimes the drums were used to incorporate chicanes and to introduce sweeping corners.
The drivers of the time were glad to be able to race again after the war, but even so they were not happy with their lot. After battling shortages of fuel and tyres and low prizemoney, they were expected to volunteer for working bees to keep the racing surface and equipment in good condition. Arthur Hayes, ARDC member number one, was particularly vocal and was instrumental in pushing the idea of forming a club to look after the interests of the drivers.
A meeting of interested parties was called in late 1951 and the Australian Racing Drivers Club was born. The name was inspired by the British Racing Drivers Club. The first committee meeting was held on November 26, 1951, and the first race meeting was held on the Mount Druitt airstrip on December 28.
Twenty seven cars contested 13 races at that first meeting. It was an inauspicious start for a club that would go on to run an Australian Grand Prix, a round of the World Touring Car Championship and the Australian rounds of the A1 Grand Prix.
The cars were a reflection of
