Three 100-year-old treasures, Australia’s fastest sprint-racer and five fabulous Le Mans-style sports cars are highlights of another massive entry list for next month’s annual Historic Leyburn Sprints announced today.
The 30th anniversary event on 15-16 August will see a near-record field of 246 historic, classic and modern performance cars contest time trials on Leyburn’s 1.0 kilometre closed-street course.
The Sprints – twice winner of the Queensland Motorsport Event of the Year award - commemorates the running of the 1949 Australian Grand Prix on an ex-WW2 airfield just outside the former goldrush village on the southern Darling Downs and two original cars from that race also are on the entry list.
Several special events are planned for the 30th anniversary, including a Night with the Stars, Under the Stars featuring nine prominent former drivers from the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s, and a new display highlighting the rural district’s rich heritage from the 1850s to modern-day. The Weekend Australian business motoring columnist John Connolly will be guest speaker at Night with the Stars.
“Once again the historic racing community has entered an extraordinary number and variety of cars for the Historic Leyburn Sprints,” organising committee President Tricia Chant said.
“Spectators will see everything from a 1925 Austin – named Alfred and driven by 86-year-old Justin McCarthy – a 1925 Crossley and a 1926 Austin to a 300 kmh Porsche GT3 and many other wonderful cars in between. We’ve got popular family cars like Holden, Ford and Chrysler and expensive exotics and father-and-daughter team Colin and Belinda Schiller are each driving MGs that raced in 1949 – highlighting our Australian Grand Prix heritage.
“There will be Le Mans-type sports cars represented by a Jaguar D-Type, Jaguar XJ13, Porsche 910, Lister “Knobbly” Jaguar and a Ford Shelby Daytona, while we have another hot line-up of outright challengers led by last year’s placegetters, Australian Hillclimb Champion Dean Amos (Gould GR55B V8), Warwick Hutchinson (OMS28) and Brett Bull (BB MHC). We’ve got touring car and open-wheel legend Charlie O’Brien competing in a Ford Escort loaned by Dakar rally veteran Bruce Garland.”
While the Sprints will run from 8am on Saturday and Sunday – with a continuous live video stream hosted on Speedcafe.com - organisers have ensured many other attractions for visitors, especially families.
The popular Vintage Van Village and Shannons Show ‘n’ Shine return and Motorsport Alley will have a display of exciting racers including the late Peter Brock’s Mobil 1 Ford Sierra and Munsters and Speed Racer movie cars. The nine VIP driver guests, including Bathurst winners Dick Johnson, Colin Bond, John Bowe and Kevin Bartlett, will sign autographs at the impressive new Shannons Super Rig 2.0.
Other activities will include country-style markets, a fun run, live music at three venues, and a Saturday night charity auction at the Royal Hotel coinciding with the climax of an exclusive Grays.com live on-line auction of a restored classic Ford Escort RS2000 racer.
Spectator tickets and campsite bookings are available to buy on the Sprints website. Adult tickets cost $30 for Saturday or Sunday, or $40 for the weekend; children under 14 enter free.
Tickets for a Night with the Stars, Under the Stars can be bought at https://events.humanitix.com/historic-leyburn-sprints-night-with-the-stars-under-the-stars.
