Longford Circuit
Encyclopedia
The Longford Circuit was a temporary motor racing course laid out on public roads at Longford
, 23 kilometres (14.3 mi) south-west of Launceston
in Tasmania
, Australia
. It was located on the northern edges of the town and its 7 km lap passed under a railway line viaduct, crossed the South Esk River
via the wooden Kings Bridge, turned hard right at the doorstep of the Longford Hotel, passed over the railway line using a level crossing and traversed the South Esk again via another wooden structure, the Long Bridge.
Its first race meeting was held in 1953, the Australian Grand Prix
was staged there in 1959 and 1965 and the track hosted a round of the Tasman Series
each year from 1964 to 1968. It was also the venue for the single race 1962 Australian Touring Car Championship
, the Australian Tourist Trophy
in 1960, 1964 & 1966 and a round of the Australian Drivers' Championship
each year from 1958 to 1965. Its use as a motor racing venue was curtailed due to financial issues, following the running of the 1968 Tasman Series meeting.
The new outright lap record of 2:12.6 set by New Zealand
’s Chris Amon
in a Ferrari P4 sports car at the final meeting was, with an average lap speed of 122.2 mph (196.62 km/h), the fastest lap record for any Australian circuit at the time and would remain so until the opening of the new Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit
at Albert Park in Victoria
in 1996.
There is little left of the original track as the two bridges have long been demolished and a highway now intersects the network of roads on which the circuit was laid out.
Longford, Tasmania
Longford is a town in the north-east of Tasmania, Australia. It lies 175 m above sea level at the convergence of the Macquarie River and the South Esk River, 21 km south of Launceston. It is just south of the Illawarra Road, a road connecting the Bass and Midland Highways. It has a...
, 23 kilometres (14.3 mi) south-west of Launceston
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It was located on the northern edges of the town and its 7 km lap passed under a railway line viaduct, crossed the South Esk River
South Esk River
The South Esk River is the longest river in Tasmania. It starts in the mountains near Fingal flowing through Avoca, Evandale, Longford, Hadspen and finally Launceston. The river is dammed at Trevallyn Dam near Launceston and used for the city's Hydro Electricity scheme...
via the wooden Kings Bridge, turned hard right at the doorstep of the Longford Hotel, passed over the railway line using a level crossing and traversed the South Esk again via another wooden structure, the Long Bridge.
Its first race meeting was held in 1953, the Australian Grand Prix
Australian Grand Prix
The Australian Grand Prix is a motor race held annually and is held to be the pinnacle of motor racing in Australia. The Grand Prix is the oldest surviving motor racing competition held in Australia having been held 76 times since it was first run at Phillip Island in 1928. Since 1985 the race has...
was staged there in 1959 and 1965 and the track hosted a round of the Tasman Series
Tasman Series
The Tasman Series was a motor racing series held from 1964 to 1975, in Australia and New Zealand, and named after the Tasman Sea between the two countries...
each year from 1964 to 1968. It was also the venue for the single race 1962 Australian Touring Car Championship
1962 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1962 Australian Touring Car Championship was the third running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It was contested over a single race staged at the Longford Circuit, Tasmania in March, 1962...
, the Australian Tourist Trophy
Australian Tourist Trophy
The Australian Tourist Trophy is a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for sports car drivers. The title was awarded for the first time in 1956 and then annually from 1958 until the introduction by CAMS of an Australian Sports Car Championship for 1969...
in 1960, 1964 & 1966 and a round of the Australian Drivers' Championship
Australian Drivers' Championship
The Australian Drivers' Championship is a motor racing championship which has been contested annually since 1957 by drivers of cars complying with Australia's premier open-wheeler racing category as determined by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport. Since 2005 this category has been Formula...
each year from 1958 to 1965. Its use as a motor racing venue was curtailed due to financial issues, following the running of the 1968 Tasman Series meeting.
The new outright lap record of 2:12.6 set by New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
’s Chris Amon
Chris Amon
Christopher Arthur Amon MBE is a former motor racing driver. He was active in Formula One - racing in the 1960s and 1970s - and is widely regarded to be one of the best F1 drivers never to win a championship Grand Prix...
in a Ferrari P4 sports car at the final meeting was, with an average lap speed of 122.2 mph (196.62 km/h), the fastest lap record for any Australian circuit at the time and would remain so until the opening of the new Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit
Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit
The Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit is a street circuit around Albert Park Lake, only a few kilometres south of central Melbourne. It is used annually as a racetrack for the Australian Grand Prix and associated support races.-Design:...
at Albert Park in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
in 1996.
There is little left of the original track as the two bridges have long been demolished and a highway now intersects the network of roads on which the circuit was laid out.