Lismore’s Dean Amos has chalked-up consecutive wins at the 20th anniversary Historic Leyburn Sprint meeting.
Amos guided his Gold GR37 Judd V8 to victory around the 1km street course in 42.95s, beating his 2014 record by more than a second.
The consecutive victories match runner-up Warwick Hutchinson (rotary-powered Van Dieman) who was the 2012-13 winner.
The pair had been at the front of the time trials throughout the weekend, with Hutchinson fastest on four runs and leading after the fifth and penultimate run.
But while the Brisbane driver failed to improve on his final sprint, Amos laid all on the line for the fastest time to win by less than .8s.
“I actually hardly remember that run – I just pulled my finger out and went for it. My hands were shaking on the wheel as I crossed the line,” Amos said.
Michael Van Rappard and Dean Tighe were third and fourth in Dallara open wheelers ahead of Peter Corbett and Paul Stokell in Radical sports cars.
David Cross won his fourth straight trophy as the fastest Historic entry in his Bowin Hay V8.
The duel between Amos and Hutchinson was an exciting climax to one of the biggest Sprints weekends on record.
The crowd, estimated on Saturday alone to be twice the size of the entire 2014 event, saw the Darling Downs township witness 220 historic, classic and performance cars contest the time trials, 140 cars in a Shannons Shine n’ Shine and 25 vintage caravans.
Elsewhere nine legends of motorsport were honoured at a sold-out dinner and appearances by three famous racing cars of yesteryear, Sir Jack Brabham’s 1967 BT23C-1 Formula 2 and the Mildren-Waggott ‘Yellow Submarine’.
Graeme Collins won top prize in the Show n’ Shine for his restored 1950 Morris J delivery van, while Steve Wearne and Narelle King of the Gold Coast won the Best Vintage Caravan and Display for their 1968 Evernew Hillandale van.
“The variety of cars we had this weekend, from a 1925 Austin to a Indianapolis roadster to a Group B Audi quattro, a Goggomobile, one of Sir Jack Brabham’s cars and just about anything else you could imagine, was mind-blowing,” Sprints organising committee president Ann Collins said.
Fastest outright
- DeanAmos (Gould GR37 Judd) 42.954s
- 2. Warwick Hutchinson (Van Dieman RF92) 43.732
- Michael Van Rappard (Dallara F392) 45.687
- Dean Tighe (Dallara D395) 45.735
- Peter Corbett (Radical SR3) 46.654
Fastest Historic
David Cross (Bowin Hay) 50.262
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