The 26th Historic Leyburn Sprints will celebrate almost 100 years of motoring on the Darling Downs this weekend.
Around 220 cars, the oldest from 1925 and the newest from 2020, will contest the round-the-houses Sprints on Saturday and Sunday, commemorating the running of the 1949 Australian Grand Prix.
Sprints President Tricia Chant said this year’s event promised to be a bumper celebration, after COVID-19 forced a cancellation in 2020 and a three-week postponement last year.
“Everyone is busting to get back,” Chant said.
“We have a capacity entry list of wonderful cars, many other great attractions and the weather is promising to be warm and dry.
“It will be a great weekend in the country celebrating Leyburn’s unique motorsport heritage.”
The Sprints time-trials will take place on a one kilometre course, with historic, classic and performance open-wheel, sports, and closed cars to compete across 59 classes.
The oldest entry is a 1925 Austin Seven Sports Special, while the newest a 2020 machine called a DPQ Special, a purpose-built single-seater will fight for outright honours.
The coveted Col Furness Memorial Trophy will be contested by DPQ driver David Quelch and eight rivals all keen during their seven scheduled runs to crack the 39.79 second record held by returning six-time champion Dean Amos.
When floodwaters poured through Amos’s auto workshop in Lismore earlier this year, one of the things he saved was his British-built Gould GR55B-Judd racer.
He is eager to get back behind the wheel of it at Leyburn.
“I haven’t been able to attend Leyburn since 2019,” Amos said.
“I can’t wait to get back there – the atmosphere is fantastic.
“We’ll be camped on the road verge in Warwick Street where people can come along and view the car, then when it’s our turn on track I’ll go out and give it a real crack.”
Matthew Devitt and Barry Smith, the only surviving drivers to have contested every Sprints event since its inception in 1996, will return to Leyburn, while Neil Lewis will drive the only car to have run every year, his 1964 Ford Cortina.
“It’s a nice little car, fun to drive, and over the years I’ve taken home a few rocks and bits of wood (Leyburn’s renowned home-made trophies),” Lewis said.
“I started racing at Leyburn in 1999 and it’s the spirit of the event I love, it’s magic.”
All the Sprints action will be covered by live video streaming.
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