The countdown is on to the 30th anniversary running of the Historic Leyburn Sprints on August 15 and 16 in Queensland’s Southern Downs.
The event, held in the town of Leyburn, which hosted the Australian Grand Prix way back in 1949, is expected to bring a big crowd, although whether it will top the 30,000 who attended the Grand Prix remains to be seen.
Helping to kick along this year’s celebrations are some of Australia’s greatest racing drivers of the past eras, including Dick Johnson, John Bowe, Bruce Allison, Charlie O’Brien, Kevin Bartlett, Colin Bond, Bap Romano and Steve Masterton.
The drivers will be VIP guests on Thursday, August 13, as Weekend Australian motoring columnist and Leyburn Sprints competitor John Connolly takes on the guest speaker role for A Night with the Stars, Under the Stars event to be held at the Ellangowan Woolshed.
Sprints president Tricia Chant says A Night With the Stars, Under the Stars will be a one-off celebration of Leyburn’s Australian Grand Prix heritage, launching a weekend of special activities.
“We haven’t done anything like this before. It’s going to be a wonderful night of entertainment, great food and drinks and traditional Sprints camaraderie before the big weekend kicks off on Friday,” Chant says.
“Two years ago we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the 1949 Leyburn Australian Grand Prix.
“This year we mark the foundation of the Sprints in 1996 by a committee of local people and the Historic Racing Car Club of Queensland.
“Who could imagine the Sprints would grow to what it has become today – an historic racing festival with its roots in an Australian Grand Prix, twice awarded Queensland Motorsport Event of the Year and renowned throughout the country for its unique spectacle and grassroots atmosphere.”
On the Sprints weekend Leyburn’s population usually swells to about 18,000 people, including thousands of campers, who come to check out the street sprints and take advantage of extra attractions and entertainment rolled out as part of the festival atmosphere.
A ticket to A Night With the Stars, Under the Stars will offer a 4 ½ hour package of gourmet food and quality beverages. Tickets are available at https://events.humanitix.com, with numbers strictly limited.
For more on the event itself, including links to registration, go to www.historicleyburnsprints.com.au
