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Phillip Island Auto Racing Club Ltd. |
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Club History
A HISTORY OF THE PIARC & THE PHILLIP ISLAND CIRCUIT. 1951 Meeting of interested business men to plan PI motor racing 1952 PIARC holds first formal meeting. 1952 PIARC buys the property at Phillip Island and starts planning Price in pounds - 12500 1956 December – first public race meeting held at Phillip Island 1962 Extensive track damage at the 1962 Armstrong 500. Club cannot afford repairs. 1964 Len Lukey buys the property from the club - $40,000. 1965 PIARC forms a Melbourne based car club, based at the Prince George theatre in Brighton. 1967 September – first public race meeting on re-opened track. 1978 Len Lukey dies and the PIARC temporarily loses its use of Phillip Island. PIARC takes on the conduct of race meetings at Calder Park. PIARC is apart of a group creating the Victorian State Race Series, to be initially run at all circuits in Victoria. 1984 Placetac buys Phillip Island Circuit from Lukey Estate - $800,000 1985 November – PIARC provides Senior Officials for the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide
1989 April - Bob Barnard runs Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island. PIARC has agreement with Barnard to organise future car racing events at Phillip Island. PIARC actively involved with the running of NASCAR racing at the Thunderdome, at CalderPark. 1990 September - Second AMGP held at Phillip Island, then the event moves off to Eastern Creek in NSW. World Superbike Championships continue to be run at Phillip Island. 1991 Barnard loses lease at Phillip Island and owners of the property (Placetac P/L) set up "Phillip Island Motor Sports" (PIMS) to manage the property and run car events with assistance from PIARC. PIARC continue to conduct some meetings under our own name. 1996 March – Australian Grand Prix comes to Albert Park – PIARC continues to provide many senior officials for the event. 1997 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix returns to Phillip Island. 2001 PIARC moves to clubrooms at Moorabbin Airport after affiliating with the Royal Victorian Aero Club. 2002 PIARC and Phillip Island Circuit celebrate 50th birthday. Circuit put up for sale - $20,000,000 2004 Avesco drops Phillip Island from the V8 Supercar Series. Lindsay Fox announces his purchase of the circuit. 2005 V8 Supercar Series returns to Phillip Island. The Island also listed for two rounds of the newly formed Australian Motor Race Series.
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