Then
the search began for a suitable area of land on which to build a racing circuit.
At least 200 acres were needed. The assistance of the then Deputy Premier and
Minister for Industrial Development, Hon. H. E. Graham was sought. He had been a
member of the Club and an enthusiastic supporter for some time and he took
endless pains to assist the Club in their project.
Soon, a tract of land was found in the Wanneroo area. The Shire of Wanneroo agreed to the land being declared an "A" Class Reserve, and it was with great jubilation that the Club received a letter from Hon. H. E. Graham advising that the Governor's signature would be affixed to the document turning "Reserved No. 10866 from 'quarrying' to 'recreation' (motor sport)". Planning then proceeded apace!
The circuit was designed by Max McCrackan after seeking input from club members and looking at other circuits, and he subsequently spent some eight months supervising and keeping the various contractors up to the time schedule.
Most of the money required was borrowed. A loan was raised through the Shire of Wanneroo and various Companies and Firms contributed towards the cost in return for advertising rights. Meanwhile the Club was carrying on racing at Caversham.
In
October 1968 the last race meeting was run at the Caversham circuit amidst
scenes of much nostalgia - Touring Car legend Norm Beechey won the last race in
his 327 Monaro.
Work on the Wanneroo site then hit top gear, with club volunteers working alongside the contractors and, despite some dire predictions, the new track rapidly took shape from the virgin bush.
In March 1969 the first race meeting was conducted at Wanneroo Park. The "Speed Classic" meeting on March 2nd was not heavily advertised, as the facilities were not quite ready for a capacity crowd. Consequently, it was quite embarrassing when the crowd poured in, accompanied by clouds of dust, overflowed the parking areas and caused the ticket collectors to quit their posts after only 4,600 people had been through. The crowd has been estimated at over 6,000.
After a few initial teething troubles racing thrived at Wanneroo throughout the balance of the 1960s and well into the 1970s. For many years the premier event was the annual 6 hour Le Mans race for Sedans and Sports Cars and, when interest in this gruelling event faded, Production Car racing took over as the big drawcard.
In 1979 the Australian Grand Prix was held at Wanneroo and this event also marked the opening of the newly relocated pit/paddock area on the western side of the circuit. The AGP was a thrilling event which began with a spectacular first turn accident between Larry Perkins and Alf Costanzo and saw South Australian Johnny Walker come back through the field to win after a pitstop to remove a trailing exhaust component.
Throughout the 1980s the strength of Touring Car racing continued to grow nationally and this was reflected in WA where massive crowds attended the annual Perth round of the V8 Supercar Series.