The Historic Leyburn Sprints is one of Australia’s premier historic motorsport festivals, with a huge choice of things to see and do for all the family.
- See 250 fabulous cars compete in the 29th Historic Leyburn Sprints. Racing, sports and touring cars from 10 decades of motoring race the clock around the closed streets of the town.
- Sunday’s new highlight will wrap up the weekend with a thrilling Top 10 Shootout for outright fastest lap, followed immediately by a podium presentation on the start line.
- Visit Motorsport Alley. Just inside the main gate see a spectacular collection of competition cars, from 1949 Grand Prix runners to Le Mans-type sports cars, Bathurst contenders, old-timers, a vintage Cooper Climax raced by World Champion Sir Jack Brabham and his Brabham BT11A that Kevin Bartlett drove to the historic first 100 mph lap of Mount Panorama.
- Vintage Van Village. Don’t miss this colourful display of the best vintage caravans and tow vehicles at their new home near Turn One. The owners are sure to let you look inside. Live music on Saturday afternoon.
- Shannons Show ‘n’ Shine. The coolest, shiniest cars from the Darling Downs region and beyond turn out on Sunday for this popular display. While there’s a strong emphasis on muscle cars, you’ll be sure also to see some superb vehicles representing Britain, Europe and Japan.
- View the 1949 Australian Grand Prix trophy, back in Leyburn for the first time in more than 20 years, on display in Warwick Street.
- Meet Australian racing legends. Dick Johnson, Warwick Brown, Kevin Bartlett, Charlie O’Brien and Bruce Allison will sign autographs at the Shannons Insurance tent on Saturday and Sunday.
- Charity Auction, a fun way to spend Saturday night in the Royal Hotel beer garden, bidding for a huge array of items aimed at the motorsport enthusiast. Fun starts at 6.30pm, followed by a live band. There’s live music here also on Friday night and on Friday/Saturday nights at Leyburn RSL.
- Join the Family Fun-Run at 7am Sunday – a great way to see what the drivers see around the 1.0 kilometre Sprints track. (Without crashing!)
- Win a racing car ride. Visit the event website to buy $5 raffle tickets to win hot lap rides on Saturday and Sunday.
- Get a birds-eye view of the Historic Leyburn Sprints on a 10-minute Elite helicopter ride. Get aboard at the helipad just behind the Sprints competitors’ paddock.
- Visit the Australian Grand Prix memorial, where 30,000 spectators on 18 September 1949 saw John Crouch and his Delahaye race to an historic victory. Take Milmerran-Leyburn Road north from Leyburn, past Liberator Park. At crossroads approximately 5 kms north of Leyburn, go straight ahead into Macquarie Drive. The memorial is a few hundred metres ahead on the left verge and is easily seen.
- Leyburn’s full of history. Take a stroll around the old town to find more than 20 footpath plaques marking the goldrush days. Historic sites include the 1863 Royal Hotel, Queensland’s oldest continuously-licensed premises, and Granall House, an 1858 former coaching station. Visit the Leyburn Historical Society’s display in the RSL clubrooms.
- Hungry and thirsty after all this fun? There are inexpensive food and drink outlets throughout the precinct. Check the official souvenir program for a full list.
