History

Gnoo Blas Race Circuit History

President Wayne Swadling and Events Organiser Glenn Turner chat about the history of Gnoo Blas, the origin of the name, and more of the story behind the race track that gave birth to Touring Car Racing in Australia.

Gnoo Blas Club presented an interesting history of the Gnoo Blas circuit at the 2024 Gnoo Blas Classic Dinner.

Chequered Times

Former club president, Denis Gregory, had a lifelong interest in motorsport and raced at five Gnoo Blas meetings. Denis was the author of Chequered Times: A History of Gnoo Blas: Orange 1953-1961, excerpts of which are below.

Humble beginnings

It would be a huge understatement to say the Orange Cherry Blossom Management Committee was cutting things fine when a call went out – 18 days before the first race – for local people to take out nine 100-pound ($200) debentures so the new Gnoo Blas track could be finished in time.

The money was needed to hire a public address system, provide amenities for the spectators, and other small items.

The plan to build the track was hatched only eight months earlier in April 1952, by a group of people associated with the annual Orange Cherry Blossom Festival with lots of prompting from the Australian Sporting Car Club, which had had a row over Mt Panorama at Bathurst and wanted somewhere else to race.

Part of the simple triangle of quiet country roads was in the Orange city area, and the remainder was in neighbouring Canobolas Shire. They were reconstructed and sealed with a light coat of bitumen, the work paid for by the Cherry Blossom Management Committee and carried out by both councils under the supervision of their engineers Bill Holness and Alf Stephen.

The road was never very wide but most of Australia’s best drivers raced at Gnoo Blas at one time or another, including Jack Brabham, who ran a variety of cars and who held the lap record until the final meeting.

Some of the other drivers include Bob Jane (Maserati), Stan Jones (Maybach), Prince Bira of Siam (Maserati), Peter Whitehead and Tony Gaze (Ferraris), Alex Mildren (Cooper Climax), Ted Gray (Tornado), Doug Whiteford (Maserati), Tom Sulman (Aston Martin), Leo and Ian Geoghegan (Holdens and Jaguars), David McKay, Bill Pitt, Ron Hodgson (Jaguars), Des West, Arnold Glass, Paul Samuels, Max Stewart, Jack Myers and Len Lukey.

Most of Australia’s best drivers competed there. Jack Brabham started his road racing career at Gnoo Blas and held the lap record of more than 102mph up to the last meeting in 1961. Jon Leighton and John Youl in their Cooper Climaxes both broke Jack’s lap record of 2m 12s with Leighton getting a 2m 7.4s, just over 105mph (168kmh), and Youl a 2m 8s. Both recorded 157.8mph (252kmh) through the flying quarter mile.

Other drivers who raced on Gnoo Blas included Bob Jane (Maserati), Stan Jones (Maybach), Reg Hunt, Prince Bira of Siam (Maserati), internationals Peter Whitehead and Tony Gaze (Ferraris), New Zealanders Fred Zambucca (Maserati) and John McMillan (Alfa Romeo), Alex Mildren (Cooper Climax), Ted Gray (Tornado), Doug Whiteford (Maserati), Tom Sulman (Aston Martin), Leo and Ian Geoghegan (Holdens and Jaguars), Des West, Arnold Glass, Paul Samuels, Max Stewart, Jack Myers, Len Lukey, Frank Matich, Bill Buckle, Bob Cutler, Doug Chivas, Charlie Smith, Brian Foley, Bob Holden, Peter Williamson, and ‘Gelignite’ Jack Murray.

Zambucca and McMillan set the first 100mph lap (2m 15s) in Australia at Gnoo Blas at the 1954 Easter meeting.

This excerpt supplied by Phil Murray, ‘Gelignite’ Jack Murray’s younger son:

LAP RECORD AT THE NEW GNOO BLAS On Anniversary Day, 26 January 1953, a new race circuit was opened for business: Gnoo Blas at Orange. Anniversary Day was a term that had been previously used for Australia Day. The Anniversary Weekend Races were organised by the ASCC. This was the first meeting on a new triangle-shaped, 3.8 miles (6.1 km) circuit, 177 miles (285 km) from Sydney. Even so, 15,000 spectators were attracted and 39 competitors. Australian Motor Sports, February 1953 declared: The official lap record was set by Jack Murray (Day Special) in 2 mins 32 secs for the 3.75 miles (approximately 90 mph or 145 km/h). In the Canobolas Handicap of ten laps, J. Murray (Day Special) retired with universal differential (i.e. mechanical) problems. Australian Motor Sports, February 1953, reported on a very amusing and slapstick Ophir Handicap over eight laps: What a strange and comical race. The event was really meant for the slower cars but due to running troubles both Murray (Day Special) and Oxenford (Alvis-Mercury) found themselves in the field. They were wolves amongst sheep. In this race, Jack obtained fastest lap of the day, the lap record and then the world’s slowest wheel change as a casual conversation in the pits between Jack, who had a blown tyre, and Peter Lowe led to Lowe’s wheel being transferred to the Day Special. After this very casual changing of wheels Jack was off again – about four laps behind the field. The spectacular Jack Murray was dogged by tyre and radiator problems throughout the day. The Edward Hargreaves Handicap of five laps was a general scramble of the day’s fastest cars. In a field of eleven, no less than five cars crashed or went off the road, Jack being one of them. He ended his race amidst straw bales, down a ditch at Mrs Mutton’s Corner, having tried to correct a slide by giving full power to the Day Special. No damage was done and no one was hurt. Of the fastest quarter times recorded at Orange, Jack clocked 114.03 mph (183 km/h).

The name ‘Gnoo Blas’ is Aboriginal meaning ‘twin shoulders’ and describes the nearby Mt Canobolas and Pinnacle, appearing on one of Major Thomas Mitchell’s early maps. Later it evolved into Canobolas.