Lobethal Circuit

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Lobethal Circuit was a motor racing course near Lobethal, South Australia, in the Mount Lofty Ranges, about 22 miles from Adelaide. Opened in 1937 and used until 1948, it hosted four race meetings, including the 1939 Australian Grand Prix. The track measured 13.92 km (8.65 mi) per lap, and the lap record was 5 minutes 40 seconds by Alf Barrett in 1939.

The circuit used public roads that closed for racing through the towns of Charleston and Lobethal. It was roughly triangular, with two Lobethal approach roads and the main Charleston road all sealed for racing. It was the longest circuit used in Australian motor racing, and the 1939 Grand Prix had the fastest average speed in Australia up to 1956, at about 84 mph.

The course featured a distinctive sequence of fast sections and challenging corners, including a hump-backed bridge, Kayannie Corner, downhill and uphill esses, a straight into town with a sharp intersection, and a famous long “roller coaster” of ups and downs past dairy farms that tested drivers’ skill and nerve.

Racing began with a combined motorcycle and car meeting in late December 1937, followed by similar meetings in 1938–1940, the 1939 Australian Grand Prix, and a final meeting on 1 January 1948. After 1948, efforts to restart racing there were blocked by 1951 laws prohibiting road racing on public roads.

Today, the roads of the old Lobethal Circuit are used as part of the Tour Down Under, the international cycling race.