Siberia's only around At the Phillip Island racetrack, Siberia’s literally only round the corner. It’s one of 12 corners on the circuit, with some boasting famous names like Gardner Straight or Doohan and Stoner corners.
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hillip Island is one of Australia’s oldest and coldest circuits, hence the name Siberia, inspired by the winds whistling off Bass Strait and onto the circuit. Australia’s first Grand Prix was held at Phillip Island for eight consecutive years from 1928 … but back then, it was nothing like the circuit of today. As a driver or rider, you were faced with a rectangular public dirt road. When it came to motorcycle racing, the track was first used in 1927 for a 200-mile road race that weaved its way through Cowes and Rhyll. The next year, a shorter rectangular course –10km long on public roads – was used for the Grand Prix, which was run over 100 miles. All this temporarily came to a halt in 1935. By 1956, the track had become a permanent racing circuit, the first full-length dedicated paved track of its type built. In contrast to today’s customs, it was developed by volunteers and amateur racers rather than professional organisations. Around 1951, the present site was purchased from the owner of Brighton Beach Motors, motorsport enthusiast Mr P Whitlock, who generously sold the land for £6,525. Phillip Island Auto Racing Club (PIARC) purchased the site, and there’s a good story behind the name. The circuit was intended to be used for car and motorcycle events, but at the time regulations dictated that motorcycle riders were only allowed to join one motorcycle club. To ensure they were able to use the circuit, the name included the word ‘auto’ rather than ‘motor’, ensuring it covered auto cycles. Based on the Zandvoort circuit in Holland and designed by Consulting Engineer Alan Brown, the track featured long sweeping turns and a mile-long front straight. Mr Brown’s design was premised on building a track that would allow for as high a lap speed as possible. He was adamant that the track should be well away from the treacherous 100-foot cliffs that skirt one side of the circuit. Back in 1952, Victoria’s road design rules stipulated that any major public road curve where speeds exceeded 25 miles per hour should be designed so that the deeper into the corner a driver went, the tighter it became – apparently to prevent drivers from accelerating out of corners too early.
Mr Brown innocently incorporated this into the circuit’s design, much to the horror of the overseeing committee who could foresee the repercussions of this at racing speeds. A simple fix ensued – the circuit direction was changed from clockwise to anticlockwise, and has remained that way throughout its history. Due to a series of events including torrential rain during 1954 and 1955, track building was delayed. While PIARC optimistically announced opening dates, these were postponed time and again. Finally, on 15 December 1956, the track opened on a damp day. The circuit, designed to take 15,000 spectators, fielded a poor crowd – not only because of the weather, but also due to Saturday cricket. (It was illegal to hold a motor racing event on a Sunday in Victoria.) Racing did eventuate with a 10-race program, which saw the likes of Lex Davison and Jack Brabham compete.
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