East Gippsland’s world enduro champion, Shane Watts, was recently inducted into the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame during a prestigious ceremony at the 2026 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
Watts was inducted alongside an elite group of motorsport royalty, including late road racing ace Keith Blake, seven-time Supercars champion Jamie Whincup, official Garry Connelly AM, and drag racing legend Santo Rapisarda. Also honored was the Repco Brabham BT19, Sir Jack Brabham’s Formula 1 world championship-winning car.
Watts’ enduro resume is peerless. In 1997, he became the first Australian to win a world enduro title. He followed that historic feat by claiming both class and outright honors at the 1998 International Six Days Enduro in Traralgon — just 60 kilometers from his hometown of Maffra — while riding a KTM 125cc two-stroke. He later cemented his legacy in the ultra-competitive American circuit, proving his versatility across a wide variety of bike models.
Clearly humbled by the induction, Watts reflected on a career built on “doing it the hard way”.
“The journey from being a simple kid from out Maffra to getting across the world and winning a world championship is one I look back on with pride,” Watts said.
“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.”
Watts was accompanied to the function by his parents and one of his children.
The Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame remains the highest honour in the country’s racing history. It is an exclusive honour roll comprising fewer than one inductee for each of the 125 years that motorsport has been contested in Australia.
