Mount Panorama was a dirt-surface tourist drive that climbed and descended through the Bald Hills to the south of Bathurst. Its circuit length of just over 3.8 miles (6.12 km) made it the shortest venue to host the Australian Grand Prix to that point in the event's history. The 1938 meeting was the inaugural race meeting held at the rural New South Wales venue, and the Grand Prix served as its feature event.
Since the 1932 event the Australian Grand Prix had used a handicap start in which the slowest car departed first and subsequent cars were released at intervals calculated according to their predicted pace; the winner was the first competitor to complete the full race distance regardless of absolute time. The race ran over 40 laps of the circuit for a total distance of 244.8 km (153.6 miles).
The presence of two visiting British drivers complicated the handicapper's task. Peter Whitehead arrived with a supercharged ERA and Alan Sinclair with a supercharged Alta. Sinclair was unable to start the race, but Whitehead did, starting from the scratch position — the very last to depart — and it became apparent during the race that his concession had been far too generous.
Whitehead drove steadily through the field from his scratch starting position. His principal opposition came from Les Burrows, driving a 1933 Terraplane-based racing special, who had started 15 minutes ahead of Whitehead. Burrows slowed late in the race as his engine lost power, and Whitehead swept past to take the lead. The MG TA shared by Alan Crago and John Sherwood came home in third place.
The initial release of official results prompted protests from competitors and triggered a formal recount, with some placings subsequently changed.
| Pos | Driver | Car | Handicap | Time | |-----|--------|-----|----------|------| | 1 | Peter Whitehead | ERA B Type / ERA s/c 1.5L | Scratch | 2h 46m 50s | | 2 | Les Burrows | Terraplane Special / Terraplane 2.6L | 15 mins | 2h 48m 21s | | 3 | Alan Crago / John Sherwood | MG TA / MG 1.3L | 26 mins | 2h 49m 20s | | 4 | Tom Peters | Bugatti Type 37A / Ford s/c 2.9L | 4 mins | 2h 50m 19s | | 5 | John Crouch | MG TA / MG 1.3L | 26 mins | 2h 51m 38s |
Whitehead also recorded the fastest lap, a time of 3 minutes 23 seconds.
Whitehead received the RAC of Australia Cup and £250 in prize money for the outright win. He was additionally awarded £100, the NRMA Trophy and the title of Australian Road Racing Champion for recording the fastest overall time of the day, and the Courtney and Bohlsen Cup for setting the fastest lap of the race.
The 1938 race established Mount Panorama as a major venue in Australian motorsport, a status the circuit has retained through to the present day as the home of the Bathurst 1000 and other events on the national calendar. The 1938 event remains notable as the first Australian Grand Prix held in New South Wales and the first to be staged at what would become one of the most famous circuits in the world.
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