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The Geelong Speed Trials was conceived by Murray Rainey in 1956.
At that time, Murray was a prominent member of the Western District Car Club and Geelongs automotive industry.
His objective was to promote Geelong while concurrently enabling a free entertainment activity for the local community by creating an opportunity for them to see Australia's top motor sport identities competing in the most powerful and exotic sports, racing cars and motor cycles of the day.
The Western District Car Club was responsible for the conduct of the event from 1956 until 1967.
The Geelong Speed Trials were modeled on the famous Brighton Speed Trials in the United Kingdom. The Brighton Speed Trials had their origins in 1907.
The Geelong Speed Trials venue was based at Geelongs iconic Ritchie Boulevarde Eastern Beach site.
For spectators, the track is lined on one side by terraced lawns that form a natural grandstand that looks down onto Ritchie Boulevarde, enabling an excellent view of the competition including spectacular views over the Eastern Beach waterfront precinct, picturesque Corio Bay and the distant Melbourne skyline.
In fact, when Sir Stirling Moss participated at the 1988 event, he asked was the Eastern Beach site created especially for the Geelong Speed Trials?
For participants including the local community, visitors and tourists from beyond the region , the venue and picnic atmosphere of the Trials became an equal attraction in themselves other than those just interested in motorsport.
The 400 meter standing start sprint course took in Ritchie Boulevard (Geelong's roadway access to Eastern Beach) and part of Eastern Beach Road.
In 1978, the Vintage Sports Car Club of Victoria re-launched the event with a focus on demonstrating motor racing history on parade.
The list of competitors over the years represented a whos who of national and international motor racing identities, including Sir Jack Brabham, Sir Stirling Moss, Mika Hakkinen, Johny Herbert, Pedro Lamy, Win Percy, Lex Davison, Tony Gaze, Bob Jane, Bib Stillwell, Norm Beechey, Doug Whiteford, Jim McKeown, John Harvey, Darcy Russell, Dick Johnson, Jim Richards, Glenn Seton, Craig Lowndes, Formula One Champion Mika Hakkinen, Johnny Herbert, Pedro Lamy, Stan Jones and his son Alan.
Alan Jones, the World Driver's Champion of 1980, launched his motor racing career at the 1964 Geelong Speed Trials.
The Geelong Speed Trials were unique.
Since inception, they were staged by a volunteer group of local enthusiasts and members of the APEX community service clubs, as a community project.
The Geelong Speed Trials became Apexs major membership recruitment and fund raising activity. They raised funds primarily through the proceeds of Program sales and disbursed all of the Speed Trials proceeds on community projects.
The event enjoyed world wide recognition, with traditional coverage in international magazines and television programs.
As was Murray Raineys wish, the Geelong Speed Trials were a free form of entertainment for the local community and became one of Geelongs most successful tourism events.
The Speed Trials traditionally attracted a unique and well-behaved family based demographic who had a keen interest in the demonstration and preservation of our motor sporting heritage.
The Geelong Speed Trials became the largest historic motor sporting event of their type in the country.
The Ritchie Boulevard/Eastern Beach road site become one of the countries most iconic and highly revered heritage motor sporting venues as recognized both nationally and internationally.
Patrons of the Geelong Speed Trials were Lindsay Fox, A.O; Frank Hallam and Bib Stillwell.
Geelong had something special and unique in the Speed Trials that no other place in the country had.
The event became the most popular event of its kind in Australia, traditionally attracting some 350 competitors and 30,000 spectators many of whom traveled from interstate and overseas, including those that brought and competed in museum racing machines that were transported from Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States of America for the occasion.
The last event took place in 2003.
At that time the City of Greater Geelong council withheld the conduct of future events pending the outcome of a then Events Precinct Feasibility Study.
