A Rich Racing History

The Australian Touring Car Championship/Supercars notches up its 60th season in 2019. To celebrate we look back at the six-decade history of the category, starting with how we got here through various guises.

- Adrian Musolino

On February 1 in 1960, at the​ Gnoo Blas Motor Racing Circuit in Orange in New South Wales, the Australian Touring Car Championship was born. Forty-eight cars took to the grid across five classes that day, from the Jaguar Mark 1 3.4 that triumphed in the hands of David McKay to the Austin A40 Farina of Brian Foley that won the under 1000cc class.

It marked the start of something big with the championship growing massively over the coming decades, from the single-race deciders of those early years to multiple rounds and then the inclusion of the great endurance races such as the Bathurst 1000 and regular ventures outside of Australia.

The history of the Australian Touring Car Championship/Supercars rules since 1960 showcases in its own way the evolution of the automotive industry in Australia and the guiding principles of parity that have been part of the championship throughout its six decades.

This is the evolution of the Australian Touring Car Championship/Supercars through its various guises:

APPENDIX J

1960-1964

Australia’s first organised touring car rulebook paved the way for single-event Australian Touring Car Championship deciders, starting in 1960.

The rules insisted on four-door production cars sold in the marketplace with some engine and suspension modifications allowed. Cars competed in various classes based on engine capacity.

Jaguars won the first four titles before victory for the Ford Cortina Mark I GT of Ian​ Geoghegan in 1964. The grid relied heavily on imported British cars, until an influx of locally-made cars in the latter years.

The single-race championship deciders were held in various locations across Australia, in addition to various state-level meetings. The professionalism around the sport had not yet grown to form the multi-round national championship.