With overcast sky and enough drizzle to set the auto wipers going on the Mondeo, we headed to Yarragon to pickup Lachy Fowler, before setting off on our way to Geelong for the Sprints . The weather improved as we reached Melbourne and the Geelong road. Finding a park was going to be a problem, but we lucked out by noticing a car leaving a spot on the road above the spectator embankment, overlooking the start. So it was down to the start line just in time to see Glen Campbell head of on his practice run in the Alfa GTV. Then it was Dave Anderson’s turn in the MG B, followed by Steve Schmidt in his Mini Cooper S . After practice there were demonstration runs by a McLaren Sports car, a Formula 5000 and Alan Jones’ 1980 formula one Williams. Then there was stunt motor cycle demo by? Lukey Luke? Folachcchio ,who performs at the Moto GP and V8 Super Cars.
After practice the first of the timed runs began. The course is a bit short of the traditional quarter mile drag strip length, and it also has slight bend in it, so you can?t see the finish from the start line. So to see the finish line we set off along the foreshore, toward the car displays and the food tents, bought some thing to eat, before rounding the run off area at the finish line, and visited the parking area were the cars where marshaled after each run, before being escorted back the pits.? It was here that we caught up with Steve, Dave and Glen, plus a few others we knew, or whose cars interested us. After a bit of negotiation we managed to wangle pit passes, so we could meet them back in the pits after their runs. From the finish line we went to the spectator embankment overlooking the track, so Alex could take a? few action shots of the cars as they flew by. Then it was down to the pits to catch the guys after their runs, and check their times.
There were many unique and special cars in the pits, at the displays around the track, along the foreshore and in the car parks. Lots of sales stalls, food vendors, merchandising marques, club displays and a rock band, made for a colour full and entertaining event. As the last run was beginning? the sky darkened? and the temperature started to drop, so we thought it was about time to head back into the bumper to bumper traffic of the Geelong road, and home .???? John Weymouth
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The event was terrific, some fantastic historic cars on the Sunday and some fast ones too! The organisation was excellent, the weather fine, and there was a good crowd of spectators.
Glenn Campbell ran his historic racing Alfetta GTV and recorded a best run of 15.7 seconds over the ‘almost’ quarter mile. David Anderson ran his purple Group Sc MGB recording a 15.6? and Steve Schmidt recorded a 15.7 in? his Nb Cooper S.? There were a few Sporting Register members in the crowd, and plenty to see and do with car displays, fashions in the field, food and drink and excellent commentary all day .
Whilst Sunday was the day for Historic vehicles, Saturday was for modern sports, competition? and tarmac rally cars. Ian Holdsworth had entered his Mazda RX7 Turbo, but was a late scratching and didn’t appear in the results.
Pictures by Alex Weymouth and others.
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