Saturday, 9th October 2021, the Sporting Car Club of South Australia are celebrating the 60th Anniversary of their organisation of the 1961 Australian Grand Prix.
To celebrate, the club is hosting a celebratory afternoon in the club’s main function room, the Reg Sparks Room from 1pm.
Cars that competed at the 1961 event will be on display.
Drivers who competed on the program in attendance.
Officials of the day and spectators who attended the event will congregate at the club and share their combined experience of not only the 1961 Australian Grand Prix but also the many events of the era that were organised by the Sporting Car Club of South Australia.
The Sporting Car Club of South Australia Inc was founded in 1934, making it the second oldest continually running car club in the World. Their clubrooms and office are the elegant Mawson House at 51 King William Road, Unley.
The club has some 1,800 members. All members are passionate owners and active users of significant cars with many active participants in motorsport and motoring events. Much of what the Sporting Car Club of South Australia is about is motorsport.
The Sporting Car Club of South Australia continues to this day to organise club, state and national level motorsport events. Circuit racing at local venues, hill climbs at the club owned Collingrove Hillclimb facility in the Barossa Valley and regular car runs in the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula.
The Australian Grand Prix is the premier event in circuit racing and is the second oldest surviving motor racing competition held in Australia. In the earlier days the Grand Prix moved venue frequently with 23 different venues having been used since it was first run at Phillip Island in 1928, until the race became part of the Formula One World Championship in 1985.
Five of the twenty three Australian Grand Prix’s, held prior to the modern era events in the Adelaide parklands from 1985 onwards, were held in South Australia and all five of the South Australian events were organised by the Sporting Car Club of South Australia.
The 1961 event, held at the then brand new race track, Mallala, was won by Lex Davison, his fourth Australian Grand Prix win, driving a Cooper Climax and was the last Australian Grand Prix held in South Australia prior to the modern ear events held from 1985 in the Adelaide parklands
This weekend the Sporting Car Club of South Australia are also the organisers of the third round of the four round Motorsport Australia SCCSA State Motor Racing Championship. A two day race meeting being organised by the Sporting Car Club of South Australia and held at Mallala Motor Sport Park.