Motorcycling greats join Jamie Whincup, Garry Connelly and Santo Rapisarda in the nation’s highest motorsport honour, alongside Sir Jack Brabham’s title-winning BT19
The late road racing star Ken Blake and world enduro champion Shane Watts were inducted into the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the 2026 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix on Thursday, March 5.
Blake and Watts were two of five motorsport luminaries to join the exclusive club alongside seven-time Supercars champion Jamie Whincup, Australian motorsport official Garry Connelly AM and drag racing legend Santo Rapisarda – while the other new ‘inductee’ was cut from a different cloth: Sir Jack Brabham’s Formula 1 world championship-winning Repco Brabham BT19!
Blake, who passed away while competing at the Isle of Man in 1981, is an 11-time Australian motorcycle road race champion and in 1976 famously defeated world champion Giacomo Agostini at the Australian 500 TT in Laverton.
Like so many racers in his era, Blake was a master of versatility and could make winning statements on any motorcycle – two- or four-stroke and from sweet handlers to more ‘stubborn’ machinery. A highlight of his all-machine wizardy was in the 1973 Castrol 6-Hour when he won solo riding a Kawasaki Z900 – a herculean feat around the former Amaroo Park, which didn’t afford too much time to relax.
Blake’s Hall of Fame medallion was accepted by MA CEO Peter Doyle, whose late father Neville was a driving force behind his career.
Watts’ enduro CV is outstanding and includes being the first Australian to win a world enduro title in 1997 and then blazing to class and outright honours in the 1998 International Six Days Enduro in Traralgon – just 60 kays up from his hometown of Maffra – on a KTM 125cc two-stroke. He then made a name for himself in the ultra-competitive American arena, riding a variety of models to prove his mettle.
When asked how he managed to build such an incredible career, Watts said he “did it the hard way”.
“The journey from being a simple kid from out Maffra to getting across the world and end up winning a world championship was one I look back on with pride.
“It was about the good ol’ Aussie spirit and saying I’m not going to stop. A lot of resolve, a lot of tenacity – quite the journey really. I’m very humbled and proud to be up on this stage.
“Racing had its ups and downs, like the usual flow of life, and although I had lots of injuries it was about getting back on the bike and keep charging forward and moving onto the next battle.
“Today is a huge achievement, and I’m I’m lucky enough that I’ve got my parents and one of my children here today, which is extra special. Being inducted into the Motorsport Hall of Fame is magnificent, but to have your parents proud of you and being able to inspire your children is equally as special.”
And his advice for the next generation of enduro racers? “It’s an old cliché, but everyone says go out and have fun. It’s really what you need to do: savour the moment.”
The Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame is the highest honour in Australian motorsport. It is an exclusive honour-roll made up of less than one inductee for each of the 125 years motorsport has occurred in Australia.
