History

The Benalla Auto Club was founded on Thursday, 17 October 1957 by local school teacher, Bruce Watt. 

Its first general meeting was held in Walker’s Sports Store in Bridge Street, Benalla (currently Hide’s Bakery) with an initial membership of 20 people. The Benalla Auto Club conducted its first activity, a gymkhana, on the 1st December, 1957 behind Terrett’s Sawmill in Roe Street, Benalla with the club moving on to conduct several club rallies, then known as trials.

11 May 1958

Benalla Auto Club conducted its first motor gymkhana at Barjarg on Sunday 11 May, 1958 to raise funds for the erection of a public hall, making a profit of 195 pounds from the event. The lap record was set by Hoot Gibson, in a Standard.

11 May 1958

August 1958

In August 1958 the club began planning to build a permanent motor racing track.

August 1958

25 January 1959

The club’s first race meeting was conducted on 25 January, 1959 and had over 50 entries with a profit of 325 pounds. In March 1959, CAMS inspected the Barjarg circuit and licensed it for open motor racing.

25 January 1959

23 June 1960

23 June 1960 saw plans announced for the establishment of a motor racing track on the Winton Recreation Reserve. Development was enthusiastically supported by Winton residents and Benalla traders.

The construction of the 1.3 mile bitumen circuit was completed in just 12 months, with the top layer of blacktop put down just a few days before the inaugural meeting. The total cost of the construction then was 10,000 pounds.

23 June 1960

26 November 1961

The first race meeting was conducted on 26 November, 1961. The circuit’s first meeting included the entry of local star Barry Stilo, who set the track’s very first outright lap record, a now modest time of 1 minute 24.2 seconds in a Faux Pas.

26 November 1961

9 December 1962

The first full championship meeting at Winton was held on 9 December, 1962: the Victorian Formula Junior Championship.

9 December 1962

1978

In 1978 The Benalla Auto Club hosted the Rose City 10,000 which saw Formula One World Champion, the late James Hunt, race at Winton in a Formula 5000. Hunt’s travelling expenses to the event were paid by the BAC, and he claimed a dominant victory.

1978

Winton Motor Raceway also hosted the first race meetings of legend drivers such as Peter Brock, Alan Jones and Allan Moffat.

1985

In 1985 Winton hosted its first ever round of the Group A Shell Australian Touring Car Championship, which was also the first Touring Car round to be televised by the Seven Network.

1985

Benalla Auto Club’s round of the Shell Australian Touring Car Championship Series was a very popular one on the motorsport calendar. Each year the race drew record crowds to the north east of Victoria.

1995

The club undertook a $500,000 upgrade in 1995 with the widening of some sections of the track and a new surface laid.

1995

1997

In 1997 the Club added a 1 kilometre extension onto the existing circuit and resurfaced the entire circuit at a cost of $1.1 Million. This included a new pitlane without the buildings.

1997

5 June 2000

On 5 June 2000, five weeks before the Shell V8 Supercar Championship Round, an arsonist set fire to the race control tower that stood tall and proud over the circuit for many, many years. To date the arsonist has not been found, but the police are still looking.

The building was restored to its former glory in time for the V8 round, once again standing tall and proud in its rightful place, on the start/finish straight on the short circuit.

5 June 2000

November 2001

The circuit celebrated its 40th Anniversary in November 2001, and with recent additions such as construction of pit lane garages, a 1000-seat corporate pavilion, the new three-storey race control building and two-storey media centre.

November 2001

2016

At the start of 2016, the circuit underwent a full resurfacing upgrade, with a financial contribution from the Victorian State Government. The upgrade also included re-profiling turns 10 and 12.

2016
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