IN recent weeks, the question has been asked – where should Supercars race next – and the answer is waiting two hours north of Melbourne: Winton Motor Raceway.

The ATCC, V8 Supercars and Supercars have bounced Winton in and off the calendar, and at various times of the year, often in winter, against a backdrop of snow on the nearby mountains.

After first appearing on the schedule in 1985, Winton skipped a gig in 1987, and it was dropped again in 1996 while the new extension and pit lane were being installed.

It missed the cut in 2005, replaced by the never-to-be-repeated round in China, while COVID-19 saw the circus skirt around Victoria in 2020 and ‘21.

In fact, the 2020 Truck Assist snowboard trophies from Winton wound up being dropped at the decidedly warmer Sydney Motorsport Park.

Following a return in 2022, the championship has been missing in action from the regional venue.

The thing about Winton is that it is truly Supercars’ heartland; it’s grassroots, and it feels accessible to families compared to, say, the Australian Grand Prix.

A large part of that accessibility is the fact that it was a destination round, with a significant campsite located within the venue’s boundaries.

During the pandemic, Australians figured out that they can holiday at home, with the popularity of caravanning and pitching a tent by a fire subsequently going through the roof.

Winton, in fact, has steered into that skid by opening its campground to punters 365 days a year, monetising its existing infrastructure for all comers, outside of race events.

Obviously, for the Supercars weekend, the 700 sites are snapped up, but surely there’s an enterprising local with an empty paddock who would be willing to cash in, given the opportunity.

Phillip Island is a similar distance from Melbourne as Winton, and while it never embraced camping for the V8 events, it heaved with temporary campgrounds come MotoGP time.

Cars race past the packed campground. Pic: Mark Walker

Winton’s old moniker of the ‘Nation’s Action Track’ continues to ring true today, with the spectator areas offering decent views of most of the layout, which truly enhances the trackside experience.

Also, the bullring configuration tends to produce tight racing – aerodynamics isn’t necessarily everything.

The thing about Winton is that it is club-based, with the Benalla Auto Club constantly making incremental improvements to the facilities.

With a helicopter view, it’s clear that there was no master plan for it to become what it is today when cars first hit the short track in 1961.

If the BAC were given the block of land to start again today afresh, there’s no doubt that many of the buildings would be consolidated and layout tweaked to be made more operationally efficient, but that’s all a part of its charm.

The track has a head start on the things you need from a modern motorsport facility – fibre-optic is already used there for digital marshal boards, CCTV, and even broadcast cameras, some aspects of which Bathurst is seeking $15 million for.

Hell, there are even dedicated permanent phone towers installed, something that is a battle at most other venues.

While it’s not The Bend, it would be easy to argue that, in terms of overall permanent facilities, it has more to offer than multiple venues currently on the roster.

The obvious missing piece of the puzzle to make it a fixture on the calendar is government funding, the lifeblood of most events on the schedule.

But if the Taupō district of 40,000 people can arrange the funding to attract a round, there’s no doubt that Victoria could provide back an event that would bring significant value to the Hume region.

With regional Victoria losing MotoGP, there’s an ideal tourism budget opportunity waiting to be acted upon.

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