Image: Speedcafe.com.

Among the 30 Australian icons that formed the inaugural inductee group for the Australian Motor Sport Hall of Fame, no less than 29 world championships and 50 Australian championships are represented in individual and team competition.

The event took place in Melbourne last Saturday night and was attended by 500 family and friends of inductees, industry identities and motorsport enthusiasts.

Australian legends from Formula 1, circuit racing, speedway, rallying, off-road, drag racing, karting and motorcycling formed part of the inaugural group.

The Australian Motor Sport Hall of Fame is an initiative from the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) involving Motorcycling Australia, the Australian National Drag Racing Association, Karting Australia and Speedway Australia.

The induction included many of Australia’s best known world champions, including Sir Jack Brabham, Mick Doohan, Jason Crump, Troy Bayliss and Casey Stoner among others, along with Australian and Bathurst icons like Peter Brock, Dick Johnson, Colin Bond, Alan Moffat, Garry Rush and Stephen Gall.

Chairman of the Australian Motor Sport Hall of Fame Garry Connelly was ecstatic with the evening and the representation of the sport across the board.

“Never before have the icons of Australian motorsport been showcased in such a spectacular fashion,” said Connelly. “To have 30 worthy inductees across every single discipline of the sport in this country represented in one room is a special feeling.

“For a country with Australia’s population to achieve what it has on the global motor sport stage is truly impressive. The achievements by Australians in motor sport in a competition sense, an engineering sense and an administrative sense is a wonderful story that as a nation, should be celebrated.

“The discussion has already begun as to who will be inducted at next year’s Hall of Fame Gala, because it is obvious that there are many worthy inductees that should have been included, but it was impossible to honour more than 30 people appropriately in one evening.”

The full list of motorcycling Hall of Fame inductees is as follows:
Lionel van Praag
Jack Young
Jason Crump
Kel Carruthers
Wayne Gardner
Mick Doohan
Casey Stoner
Gregg Hansford
Troy Bayliss
Stephen Gall
Jeff Leisk