FROM DAIRY FARM TO MOTORSPORT ICON – 50 YEARS OF LAKESIDE

“ If you can learn to race a motorbike at Lakeside you can compete at any track in the world.” – Mick Doohan, five times Moto GP World Champion

“Lakeside is a real driver’s circuit, one of the few left in the country outside of Bathurst.” – Dick Johnson, five times Australian Touring Car Champion

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One of Australia’s most exciting and enduring motor racing circuits, Lakeside Park (or Lakeside International Raceway, as it was previously known) this year celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Who would have thought that a racetrack with such humble beginnings, built on a dairy farm by volunteer labour with borrowed machinery, would have gone on to survive fifty turbulent years and garner such an acclaimed international reputation?

But Lakeside has survived and prospered, enriching its fans with 50 years of unforgettable motor racing memories, from its official opening 1961, to its pair of Grand Prix in 1966 and 1969, rounds of the legendary Tasman series, the Australian Superbike Championships, the roaring sports sedans and of course, the circuit’s mainstay for many years the Australian Touring Car Championship.

To mark this year’s golden milestone of 50 years, Queensland Raceways, the operators of Lakeside Park, will hold four celebratory events throughout the course of 2011. The four events are:

Tribute To The Originals, April 8-10 (for pre-1969 cars);
Festival of Formula Cars, May 27-29 (for open wheelers and motor bikes);
50 Years of Sports Cars, July 22-24 (for sports cars of all ages);
and 50 Years of Touring Cars, incorporating The Lakeside Classic, August 12-14 (for historic touring cars of all ages).

With racing and regularity categories on track, as well as displays at various points throughout the venue, this event will provide the ultimate trip down memory lane for anyone
who has participated or spectated at the iconic Lakeside circuit over the past 50 years.

Emergency Management Team will be providing the Medical services at each of these events.