In 1936, Albany was the first mainland town in Australia to host a 'round-the-houses' car race.  The event was run over a road circuit of 2.5 mile (4 km) and as the name suggests, the circuit was laid out through the middle of the town. The original event included a Grand Prix for bicycles and the Albany Tourist Trophy for cars. The event was highly successful, attracting crowds in excess of 10,000 spectators and continued in this format for nearly 30 years.

In 1991, the VSCC and the now City of Albany joined forces to re-create the event for cars. The 'Albany Classic' as it is now known, has run successfully each year since and has become one of Albany's icon events.

The Albany Classic is a two day event and is traditionally held over the June long weekend each year. The event encompasses a hill climb at Mt Clarence on Saturday and the 'round-the-houses' re-enactment on Sunday.

On Saturday, the access road to the Mt Clarence lookout is closed to regular traffic and hosts a fast and exciting hill climb event that attracts big fields of entrants in a wide range of vehicles. In 2007, a new Hill Climb event was added, "The Wind Farm", which is a very fast 1.2 km event that tests your best in driving skills and finishes at the very famous Albany Wind Farm.

Extensive support from the City of Albany and the local business community allows for the centre of Albany to be closed to regular traffic during the 'round-the-houses' event. Hundreds of volunteers transform the city streets into a fast, but safe street circuit that offers some fo the countries best spectator viewing.

On Sunday the streets come alive to the roar of historic motor sport as a wide variety of Historic category vehicles compete against the clock in a trial of regularity.

Entry to 'round the houses' is restricted to Historic Category vehicles only with entry to the Mt Clarence hill climb open to a broader range of cars.

The Albany Classic weekend is a family friendly event and being a long weekend, extensive activities are available to cater to a wide range of tastes.  See you there!

For more info check out the dedicated Albany Classic Website

Want to know what its like, then follow Steve around in his Fiat 125T (Click Here)