The Gippsland Car Club was formed in 1964 by a group of Latrobe Valley motor sporting enthusiasts. The Club has conducted hillclimbs since that time, including many Victorian Hillclimb Championship events and five Australian Hillclimb Championships. The Club started competition at the Gippsland Park Circuit in Latrobe Road, Morwell in 1964. The first track featured a sand/gravel surface, and was used until 1972 – the track used a section of Latrobe Road that had been left unused following a realignment of the road. From 1972 onwards, Gippsland Park featured an asphalt track, and this track underwent a number of changes over the period to April, 2008, when the track was finally closed to allow for expansion of the nearby Yallourn brown coal mine. The original asphalt track featured the infamous “hump” soon after the start, but this was removed in 1987, when Latrobe Road was again realigned. The addition of a crossover section and the joining of the start and finish straight allowed the track to be used in different directions. The track was resurfaced on one occasion during its lifetime, and was nearing the time when this needed to be carried out again when negotiations commenced to relocate the Gippsland Car Club. The Club now operates from the new, state of the art facility at Bryant Park, which is located in the Haunted Hills at Yallourn. The new track, which opened in July 2008, is a circuit of 1.6 kilometres in length, features a track width of 6 metres, and also has a crossover to allow directional changes to track configurations. The circuit features a range of corners, and also a number of blind crests, no matter which configuration is used. The Club currently has a licence to use three different track configurations, and will shortly increase this number to a minimum of six when further safety barriers are completed. As with Gippsland Park, the track features both uphill and downhill sections, and is a true test of driving ability. The track at Bryant Park has proven to be extremely popular, with hillclimbs and other events taking place almost every weekend. The track is also available for private practice on the second and fourth Fridays monthly. Check the Gippsland Car Club website at www.gippslandcarclub.com.au for further details. Gippsland Car Club is proud to be associated on an annual basis with the Victorian Historic Racing Register in the promotion of Historic Sandown.
Ian Ross - Shelby GT350
Shane Bowden - Prad
John Coffin - Robbins 500
Chris Crawshaw - Monaro
Pics Courtesy Jim Jones
GIPPSLAND CAR CLUB