At the Club's Annual General Meeting in 1992, then
Club President, John Hurney, announced that the Club would begin construction of
the often proposed short circuit. This consisted of a link from the current Turn
5 to the west of the back straight to form a new 1.7 km circuit. Substantial
support was gained from long term sponsor Alf Barbagallo to enable the
construction of the short circuit and it was announced that the Circuit would be
known as Barbagallo Raceway Wanneroo.
The first race meeting was held on the short circuit on February 20, 1993. The
new circuit opened up the possibility of night racing and truck racing as well
as making the facility much more attractive for the wide variety circuit users.
The first truck race on the short circuit was held in its inaugural year and the
advent of night racing, which has proved to be a popular choice of entertainment
for spectators, began in February 1995.
Resurfacing the Raceway and Building Jack's Hill
In 2004 the task of resurfacing the entire 2.41km
long circuit was undertaken. After much research by Committee member Sean Supanz,
an appropriate asphalt mix was decided upon and contractors Asphalt Surfaces
undertook the work. This work cost $500,000 and the WA State Government
generously contributed nearly half of this. The result was a resounding success,
with almost every lap record broken in the first months of the 2004 season.
For 2005 the club addressed the long recognised need for a permanent Hillclimb
course in WA with the building of an 880m on the club's leasehold property
adjacent to the Raceway. Named Jack's Hill after the late Jack Nelson - who
bequeathed the club significant funds which assisted in construction costs - the
course was opened in September 2005 by CAMS CEO Dr Rob Nethercote.
The WASCC in the 21st Centaury
Today the WASCC promotes eight to ten race meetings
per year, with the highlight of each season being the WA Round of the V8
Supercar Series. This is undoubtedly one of the biggest sporting events in
Western Australia, with around fifty thousand spectator’s trackside over the 3
days and a national live television audience in the millions.
The club also conducts a number of Drift Battles, Super Sprints, Hillclimbs, and
a Competition Driving School each year, plus a Member's Tuning Day at the
circuit three times most months. The WASCC runs more competition events than any
other CAMS affiliated club in Australia. Furthermore, the track is used
virtually every day of the week by clubs wishing to conduct events, competitors
using it for private testing, commercial organisations staging vehicle
promotions, schools for advanced driver and rider training, and the Police
Department to instruct their new recruits.
The WA Sporting Car Club is a not for profit organisation, which requires all
funds generated by club activities to be reinvested in club activities and
facilities. Its main aim is to both enhance and continue its role as the leading
promoter and organiser of CAMS sanctioned Motorsport in Western Australia.