Warwick Farm Raceway was a motor racing facility which was in operation from 1960 to 1973.[1] 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.
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.[2] It 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[3] and the Australian Drivers' Championship. It also staged Australian Touring Car Championship races during its later years. The last major race at Warwick Farm was the final round of the 1973 Australian Touring Car Championship on 15 July 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 wanted to have armco fencing installed around the circuit, and the AJC 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 long Warwick Farm circuit was held by Australian motor racing legend Frank Gardner. Driving a Lola T300 Formula 5000 in 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.
Warwick Farm Raceway hosted the Australian Grand Prix a total of four times:
| Year | Driver | Car | Entrant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Jack Brabham | Brabham BT4 Climax | Ecurie Vitesse |
| 1967 | Jackie Stewart | BRM P261 V8 | R.H.H. Parnell |
| 1970 | Frank Matich | McLaren M10B Repco-Holden | Rothmans Team Matich |
| 1971 | Frank Matich | Matich A50 Repco-Holden | Rothmans Team Matich |
Warwick Farm hosted the annual International 100 from 1961 to 1973:
| Year | Driver | Car | Entrant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Stirling Moss | Lotus 18 Coventry Climax FPF | RRC Walker |
| 1962 | Stirling Moss[4] | Cooper T53 Coventry Climax FPF | RRC Walker Racing Team |
| 1963 to 1973 | Refer Australian Grand Prix (1963 & 1967, above) & Tasman Series (below) | ||
Warwick Farm Raceway hosted the single race Australian Touring Car Championship in 1968, and hosted rounds of the championship in 1970, 1972 and 1973.
| Year | Driver | Car | Entrant | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group C Improved Production | ||||
| 1968 |  Ian Geoghegan | Ford Mustang GTA | The Mustang Team | |
| 1970 | Jim McKeown | Porsche 911S | Jim McKeown Shell Racing Team | |
| 1972 | Bob Jane | Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1 | Bob Jane Racing | |
| Group C | ||||
| 1973 | Peter Brock | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Holden Dealer Team | |
Warwick Farm Raceway hosted a round of the Tasman Series each year from 1964 to 1973.
| Year | Race name | Driver | Car | Entrant | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Warwick Farm International | Jack Brabham | Brabham BT7A Climax FPF | Ecurie Vitesse | |
| 1965 | Warwick Farm International |  Jim Clark | Lotus 32B Climax FPF | Team Lotus | |
| 1966 | Warwick Farm International | Jim Clark | Lotus 39 Climax FPF | Team Lotus | |
| 1967 | Australian Grand Prix | Jackie Stewart | BRM P261 V8 | R.H.H. Parnell | |
| 1968 | Warwick Farm International | Jim Clark | Lotus 49T Cosworth | Team Lotus | |
| 1969 | Warwick Farm International |  Jochen Rindt | Lotus 49BT Cosworth | World Wide Racing | |
| 1970 | Warwick Farm 100 | Kevin Bartlett | Mildren Waggott | Alec Mildren Racing | |
| 1971 | Warwick Farm 100 | Frank Gardner | Lola T192 Chevrolet | Lola Cars Ltd | |
| 1972 | Rothmans 100 | Frank Matich | Matich A50 Repco-Holden | Frank Matich Racing Pty Ltd | |
| 1973 | Chesterfield 100 | Steve Thompson | Chevron B24 Chevrolet | Servis Racing Team |
Warwick Farm Raceway hosted a round of the Australian Drivers' Championship on 11 occasions.
Warwick Farm hosted a round of the Australian Sports Car Championship each year from 1969 to 1972.
Warwick Farm hosted a round of the Australian Manufacturers' Championship in 1971.
Warwick Farm hosted the Australian Formula Junior Championship in 1963.
Warwick Farm hosted the Australian GT Championship in 1962.
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.[5]