Picture this: A race track on the backroads of Bathurst that was so wild that it had to be replaced by Mount Panorama. That layout was the Vale Circuit, and it’s a must-visit on your next Bathurst pilgrimage. The best part is, the crazy, undulating 11.635km blast through the countryside largely remains in place to this day, and it’s all in the shadows of the Mount Panorama circuit, a short drive from the downtown business area. Photo: Richard Craill https://twitter.com/LJHAMMOND1/status/1383926679257579521 In the Beginning… Saying that the Vale Circuit is Bathurst’s original racetrack isn’t quite telling the truth. Motorsport, and specifically

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a place floating around with more stories than Darlington Park!” Introducing Gene Corbett, whose Total Driver business operated out of Darlington Park up until the venue’s closure, a time when the facility was on the verge of becoming the home of Ford’s V8 Supercars operations. The Darlington Park backstory: Part 1 – The venue over time. Part 2 – Murder, masterplans and a mountain pass. "He was typical of those old school guys, he was very much an entrepreneur, he worked harder than a Mallee Bull, he put most 20-year-olds to shame, and if

In the opening leg of this three-part deep dive into the history of Queensland's Darlington Park Raceway, we looked at the sequence of events that saw an epic race track built, but never seriously raced on. Created by Tony Stephens, the race track surface was actually sealed and used by various forms of low-level motorsport over the years, however, at the time of its closing in 2005, much of the supporting infrastructure for a typical circuit had not been put in place. Since its inception, there was much talk in the media about the possibilities of the facility, which at

Inspired by similar motorsport country club concepts internationally, the $100 million Club Moolia is set to attract high flyers from across the region to Perth when it opens in 2023. After initially being launched in 2020, press on the venture is once again kicking into gear. Located an hour north of the Perth CBD, or 45min from Wanneroo Raceway in rural Bindoon, the venue is slated to feature premium facilities, including a 4.1km long, 17 turn FIA approved Formula One inspired race track, a lagoon designed by Crystal Lagoons®, and a first-class sports academy for tennis and motorsport. The circuit

Following the closure of Surfers Paradise International, left with only Lakeside, Queensland was a one-track state. However, before Queensland Raceway was opened, an epic track was built, but never raced on. In Darlington Park, south-east Queensland had a fantastic permanent circuit, with the potential for the layout to be extended to take on Bathurst with a frightening mountain pass. Mired in controversy from day one, the awesome ribbon of blacktop through the trees at Yatala was ideally located smack bang halfway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and was utilised by some interesting forms of motorsport. In three parts, The

LOOK AT MALLALA from above and there remains a faint outline of what is clearly abandoned race track. It's a little known tale that the 2.6km circuit North of Adelaide was actually once much longer than it is these days. So, what happened? Why was it shortened? This is the story of Mallala's missing metres.. FEW AUSTRALIAN circuits have remained untouched from when they first opened their pavement to cars or bikes and competitive motorsport. Fly around the various racing circuits in Australia and you’ll not find many that retain an identical layout to what they started with. Mount Panorama