Warwick Farm in Sydney’s southwestern suburbs was active for just 13 years, but it was widely recognised as the finest ‘drivers’ circuit in Australia. With motorsport booming in the country thanks to Jack Brabham’s success in Europe, the Australian Jockey Club bolstered faltering revenues by building the course outside the existing racecourse. It was designed after a visit to Aintree with input from the British circuit’s Geoff Sykes. Indeed, the Englishman relocated to Sydney manage Warwick Farm with professionalism not always evident at the time. The pit straight and buildings were inside the horse track overlooked by the main grandstand. Temporary crossings were installed to lead onto the exterior loop required to create an international standard layout. Applications to hold Australia’s first World Championship race during the 1960s were rebuffed but it hosted the sport’s top stars for the International 100. Stirling Moss scored his final victory here in 1962, Jack Brabham and Jackie Stewart both won the Australian Grand Prix at ‘The Farm’ and Jim Clark was a three-time winner during the Tasman years. In 1968, it was the scene of the last one-race Australian Touring Car Championship with Ian Geoghegan crowned for the third year in-a-row and finish to the London-Sydney Rally. However, the cost of the installation of Armco barriers required by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sports proved prohibitive to the Jockey Club which concentrated exclusively on horse racing once more. Peter Brock won the last touring car race on 15 July 1973, and it closed after a final meeting on the club circuit in August.
