JUNIOR DRIVERS SHOW THEIR SKILLS AT LEYBURN
PHOTO: Tom Clift - Toyota Corolla (Trapnell Creations pic)
LEYBURN (Queensland) - THE racing drivers of the future took the opportunity to show their skills in a successful introduction of a Junior Trophy at this year’s Historic Leyburn Sprints.
Seven drivers aged under 16 entered a Regularity competition for the Ann Collins Memorial Junior Trophy, which was won by Thomas Clift of Toowoomba in a 1972 Toyota Corolla.
The competition was designed to test drivers’ skill and consistency, rather than outright speed, across the 18-19 August weekend. They incurred penalty points for completing the 1.0 kilometre Leyburn street course faster or slower than their nominated target time.
The Trophy honours the late, former Sprints President Ann Collins, who strongly advocated motorsport as an ideal training ground for young drivers on the road.
AMOS CLAIMS FIFTH LEYBURN SPRINTS WIN AND RECORD, BUT BENCHMARK LAP ELUDES
PHOTO: Dean Amos takes a fifth Historic Leyburn Sprints trophy in his Gould V8 (Pic by Trapnell Creations)
PHOTOS: Top left - “Quirkiest Caravan” winner Deanna Ward, Top right - Shannons Show ‘n’ Shine “Best Car” Dave Archer’s 1934 SS Swallow Saloon, Bottom - fastest Historic competitor Keith Carling (Tiga SC84) (Pics by Trapnell Creations)
LEYBURN (Queensland) - Dean Amos has claimed his fifth outright trophy and another record time at the 2018 Historic Leyburn Sprints, but windy and dusty conditions spoiled the Gould V8 driver’s crack at a benchmark sub-40 second run.
Amos lowered his time on the 1.0 kilometre street course to 40.1589 sec., comfortably beating second-placed Michael Von Rappard, who recorded 42.2608 sec. in a Dallara-Suzuki. Steve Woodbridge, in another Dallara, was third with a time of 44.7002 sec.
In the historic section, Keith Carling returned to the top with a 51.0654 sec run in his Tiga sports car.
Year 10 school student Tom Clift won a regularity competition for the inaugural Ann Collins Memorial Trophy, designed to encourage young racing drivers.
2018 Results available now
The results of the 2018 Historic Leyburn Sprints are now available to download from our Results & Docs page.
Click here to see them now.
DEFENDING CHAMPION TARGETS RECORD RUN AT LEYBURN SPRINTS THIS WEEKEND
PHOTO: Dean Amos hopes to break the 40 second mark in his Gould V8 at Leyburn (Trapnell Creations pic)
LEYBURN (Queensland) - Defending champion Dean Amos aims to be the first driver to run the Historic Leyburn Sprints street course in less than 40 seconds at this weekend’s 23rd annual event.
Amos’s campaign for a fifth-straight Col Furness Memorial outright trophy will be spurred by re-invigorated competition from some of Australia’s fastest sprints and hillclimb drivers when a field of 210 historic, classic and performance cars takes to the 1.0-kilometre track for two days of time trials.
The sub-40sec. goal has eluded Amos even though he has reset the course record in each of his past four winning appearances, but he believes this could be the year.
“I’d like to clock 40sec. this year, but it depends on the track conditions,” the Lismore workshop operator said.
INGENIOUS "AUSTRALIAN SPECIALS" PART OF GRAND PRIX HISTORY AT LEYBURN SPRINTS CELEBRATION
PHOTO: The 1954 Wolseley Flying W Special of Eric Cossiche from South Australia represents the heritage of home-built Australian racing cars at next weekend’s Historic Leyburn Sprints
LEYBURN (Queensland) - When the Historic Leyburn Sprints roars into action next weekend it will celebrate not only the time the Darling Downs village hosted the Australian Grand Prix but also the ingenious home-built cars that helped revive Australian motor-racing after World War 2.
The entry list of 28 cars at the 1949 grand prix included 19 described as “Specials” - either roadgoing models lightened of superfluous bodywork or ground-up creations using combinations of secondhand parts. Their expensive imported rivals included two Bugattis, the winning Delahaye, a Jaguar and several MGs.
Virtually all the “Australian Specials” were constructed by enthusiasts with either limited funds or skills, but made up in speed what they lacked in style.
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