The Vintage Sports Car Club of Australia

FROM THE ARCHIVES No 38                       Tim Shellshear

I have long been fascinated by these wonderful examples of vernacular racetrack architecture which were constructed at Bathurst in 1938. Anyone who has been to Mt Panorama at Bathurst and seen the grand slick new Pit Straight Control Centre will be slightly amused by these humble beginnings on the same site. These photos are taken at the October 1939 Bathurst meeting, some from Gordon Nichol’s collection and some acquired more recently from Frank Kleinig’s collection. The first, possibly from 1938, is a general view up Pit  Straight during a race showing the lean-to pit structure which

consisted of a regular row of 4 inch timber posts set into the ground at about 15 foot centres connected by a horizontal timber rail and from the top of the posts a canvas or hessian shelter was strung. At the back this was pegged to the ground. The canvas was taken on and off as needed. At the back of the posts were broad planks to provide a pit counter.