Aintree Down Under: Warwick Farm and the Golden Age of Australian Motor Sport

Between 1960 and 1973, Warwick Farm was Australia's motor racing mecca, its holy of holies, its sinuous 3.6 km track hosting some of the best motor racing Australia has ever seen before or since. Formula 1 stars like Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Jack Brabham and Jochen Rindt excelled there, while local drivers like Frank Matich and Leo Geoghegan matched them wheel-to-wheel. 'The Fabulous Farm' changed the landscape of Australian motor racing. Aintree Down Under is the first book on Warwick Farm's motor racing and its contribution to motor sport. Using hitherto untapped sources, including those of the brilliant Englishman Geoff Sykes who ran it, this work tells the story of how Warwick Farm began and evolved into Australia's most revered motor-racing track. From the glorious Tasman series for open-wheelers to increasingly muscular touring cars with drivers like Norm Beechey, Pete Geoghegan and Bob Jane pedal to the metal, the Farm had it all. Finally, this history delves into the murky, behind-the-scenes intrigues that brought about the Farm's sad demise in 1973. More than just a sports book, Aintree Down Under provides a snapshot of Sydney's social and cultural history in the 'Swinging Sixties' and pays tribute to the full-time staff and volunteers who ran the Farm. It is also a study of nostalgia and memory, as the Farm influenced many people to become motor-racing enthusiasts for life. The book documents a golden era of Australian motor racing when the love of the sport was more paramount than mere money-making.