For one weekend every year the streets of Leyburn are closed to traffic so drivers aged from 14 to 84 can race classic cars near the location of the 1949 Australian Grand Prix.
"It's not very expensive, but it's an old car. You've got to lean over and if you want to go around as fast as you can," he said.In Leyburn, 200 kilometres west of Brisbane, going "as fast as you can" is the mission for more than 200 drivers every year.The small town of 500 swells to about 15,000 for one weekend, as locals line a 1-kilometre route through the streets with hay bales, and let classic road cars and racing cars tear around as fast as they can.
They don't just wave. While he waits for another lap of the course, people come up for a chat and usually share a story about their connection to his car."It was either a school teacher or a grandad. I'm happy to bring back the memories for them, sharing what I have to give people enjoyment and keeping motoring history alive."It was the host of the 1949 Australian Grand Prix.
The track where the original Grand Prix was held has succumbed to time. Now, cattle graze where the tarmac was. So these days, cars race on the streets, past houses and the local school.Fourteen-year-old Daniel Kirby is still two years away from getting his L-plates, but he's allowed to take his family's 25-year-old Hyundai Excel up to 120 kilometres per hour in the usual 40km zone."The main goal is to have fun … and to take the car home in one piece," he said.
"Gosh, modern cars now will have turned into classics by then, so I have no idea what I'll be driving, but hopefully it'll be one of the classics of today," he said.Get our local newsletter, delivered free each WednesdayPhoto shows A photo taken half underwater. A person is splashing into the blue water, while above trees and palms surround.Photo shows A dump truck emptying a pile of red dirt into a very large mine - there are hills in the background.
1925 Austin 7 Leyburn Sprints 1949 Australian Grand Prix Classic Cars Street Racing
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