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Back to August 2011 Motorsports News Archive
| 08-08-2011 at 07:00: Leyburn Packed to the Brim | |
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The oldest entry is a 1926 Amilcar and the newest a 2010 replica of a Can-Am Lola T70, and despite their extreme differences, both could be among the fastest machines on the 1.1 kilometre course around the closed streets of the tiny former gold-mining town. Across the spectrum of entries are famous names including Ferrari, Lotus, Porsche, Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Jaguar and ones that are less well-known but also successful from past racing eras, such as Chevron, Fairthorpe, Jowett, Tiga and Prince. Australian makes on track will include Centaur, Bolwell, Bowin and Elfin and a host of home-built but rapid one-offs. Commemorating the 1949 Australian Grand Prix, the Leyburn Sprints is one of Australia’s greatest grassroots motorsport gatherings, but it still manages to attract famous names. Bathurst winners Dick Johnson and John French will be on track competing alongside Dakar Challenge hero Bruce Garland and sons-of-guns Alex Davison, James Moffat and Steve Johnson, who will be driving three different classic Fords in the new V8 Supercar Drivers Challenge. The Darling Downs’ own sports car constructor, Ray Vandersee, will be returning in his hi-tech Skelta roadster to defend his 2010 outright fastest time. Race Director Dennis Brown said the 2011 Sprints had been deluged with more entries than the track could accommodate over two days, meaning organisers were able to select a field that best represented the spirit of Leyburn and the widest range of makes and types. “It’s a wonderful field of cars that will hold plenty of interest for everyone who attends and guarantees fantastic competition,” Mr Brown said. “It will be a chance to see cars people have never seen before and to see again cars they remember from yesteryear. Best of all for spectators, the cars are very accessible in the competitors’ paddock for a close-up look.” The oldest and newest cars could not be more different. Andrew Wilson’s 1926 French Amilcar may be old, but it isn’t slow. It runs a 2.0 litre, supercharged straight-six AC engine, which the owner says powers the elegant black machine over a standing quarter-mile in the 12.0-sec. bracket. Chris Hatfield’s 2010 RCR Lola T70 Spyder is a replica of one of the greatest sports cars of the 1970s. Powered by a 5.4 litre V8, it will be a spectacular sight and sound. It will be fast on the sprints between suburban corners, but could prove a handful for Hatfield on Leyburn’s narrow streets instead of a high-speed circuit in the legendary Can-Am sports car series. Tickets for the Leyburn Sprints are on sale now at www.leyburnmotorsprints.com.au. Adult tickets cost $15 per day or $25 for the weekend. Racing at will start at 8am on both days, with trophy presentations scheduled from 3.30pm on Sunday in front of footballer Shane Webcke’s 1863 Royal Hotel. |
A packed field of more than 210 historic, classic and high-performance cars will line up for the 16th annual Leyburn Sprints on the Queensland Darling Downs on 27-28 August.^ Back to top ^
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