Hi
I am writing on behalf of the Goulburn Grand Prix Centenary Organising Committee, and I suspect this may be of interest to your members.
On 15 January 1927, at the Goulburn Racecourse, Geoffrey Meredith won the first Australian Grand Prix for motor cars in his Bugatti T30, in front of a crowd of nearly three thousand. For decades the record credited Phillip Island in 1928, but the evidence is now clear. Goulburn also hosted the first Motorcycle Tourist Trophy in Australia in 1914, and the first Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, sanctioned by the ACU in 1924.
Goulburn is the birthplace of Grand Prix motor racing in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere, and almost nobody knows it.
In January 2027 we are marking one hundred years since that first Grand Prix with a four day festival across the Goulburn Recreation Area and One Raceway, featuring historic vehicle displays, demonstration laps, a heritage exhibition, a gala dinner and community festivities. Entrants are already confirmed from across Australia and overseas.
To fund it, we are running a national raffle. First prize is a Hyundai i20 N, supplied by Hyundai Australia. Tickets are available now through RaffleTix.
I would be grateful if you would consider including this in your next newsletter or club communication. I have drafted something below that you are welcome to use as is, edit, or ignore entirely.
DRAFT NEWSLETTER COPY
GOULBURN: THE BIRTHPLACE OF AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX RACING
Most of us grew up believing the first Australian Grand Prix was run at Phillip Island in 1928. It wasn’t. On 15 January 1927, Geoffrey Meredith took his Bugatti T30 to victory at the Goulburn Racecourse, in front of a crowd of nearly three thousand, on a dusty one mile oval in searing heat.
Goulburn had already hosted the first Motorcycle Tourist Trophy in Australia in 1914, and the first Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, to be sanctioned by the ACU in 1924. Three national firsts, one regional city, and a story that has been largely forgotten.
In January 2027, the Goulburn Grand Prix Centenary marks one hundred years since that first Grand Prix. Four days of historic vehicle displays, demonstration laps at One Raceway, heritage exhibitions, a gala dinner and community celebrations, from 15 to 18 January.
A raffle is helping fund the event, with a Hyundai i20 N as first prize, supplied by Hyundai Australia. Tickets are available now.
https://goulburngrandprix.com.
More information: https://
I am happy to provide images, further historical detail, or to speak to your committee if that would help. If any of your members are interested in entering a vehicle, I would be delighted to hear from them.
Thank you for considering it.
Kind regards,
Darrell Weekes
Goulburn Grand Prix Centenary Organising Committee
Celebrate Goulburn Group Incorporated
Phone: 0418 166 854
Email: groulburngrandprix@
