Geelong Revival & Island Magic: Together at Last!
It’s a prime weekend for Melbourne motorsport fans to skip town, with a pair of motorsport events on either side of the bays set to entertain local fans.
For those heading west, the Geelong Revival Motoring Festival is back in full flight, after the running of the postponed 2021 event took place in March this year.
You know how the Newcastle street circuit for Supercars is a revelation for that town? Well, the Geelong foreshore is similarly picturesque, with a lovely parkland setting leading down to the edge of Corio Bay.
Since 1956, competition machinery has blasted along the quarter-mile curve that makes its way from the beach up to the heart of town – the track may not be the most technical in all of motorsport, but the festival sideshows are fantastic.
From car club displays in the Shannons Classic Motorshow, featuring classics, modern, performance, European and domestic entrants, to all manner of trade stalls, hobby displays and activations, there is plenty to see and do in the event precinct adjacent to the track.
The Motorcycle Mecca will gather together all things two-wheeled, the Royal Australian Air Force will have a presence, there will be a display of Supercars on show, an Electric Evolution feature, the Big Wheels section catering to trucks, 4x4s and heavy machines, the National Vintage Fashion Awards, vintage boats along the waterfront and more.
You get the gist – it’s kind of a big deal.
Oh, and there’s a mega line-up of cars and bikes taking part in the sprint.
From local lad Zac Soutar and his TCR Honda Civic Type R, with his dad Shane competing in the motorcycle section, Cam McConville in a Porsche Taycan Turbo S, a GT and a 992 GT3, Ron Goodman and his awesome collection of Porsches, Graeme Whincup in an LT Torana, Perry Spiridis in a Porsche Carrera S, and Paul Freestone in a Z28 Camaro, there are plenty of interesting combinations taking to the track.
In the open-wheeler stakes, machinery covers from a Formula Ford and a Ralt RT4, through all manner of old-school specials, joined by a huge assortment of tin tops, sports cars and motorcycles, with slightly differing fields on each day.
Spectator admission is free, with four runs expected each day from 10am.
Meanwhile, 85km away for a strong swimmer is the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, which for the 32nd time plays host to the Island Magic meet.
Leading the line-up is the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, joined on the program by Sports Sedans, Hyundai Excels, the 944 Challenge, Formula Ford, Historic Touring Cars, Formula Open, Improved Production and Formula Vee.
Bringing some national flair to the conversation, the Porsche Sprint Challenge field is a record-setter, and if the racing to date this season is anything to go by, the battle to settle all of the various titles will be worth watching.
Formula Open makes its official debut, with a mixed bag of 27 different open-wheelers set to take to the track, while there will also be a closely matched field of Formula Fords.
In the Sports Sedans, all of the usual suspects from the highly competitive State Series will be in attendance for the annual 50K plate, while there will be north of 40 entries in the Historics, marking one of their biggest fields outside of an historic meet in some time.
Paul Stubber and Aldo De Paoli have made the trip from the far West and will be the duo to beat.
The 30-deep Improved Production field will also be worth keeping an eye on.
All of the action will be broadcast live through Blendline TV via the usual channels, with Saturday tickets available for $30, Sunday $35 or $40 for the weekend.
Keep it tuned to The Race Torque next week for all of the action.
Mark Walker (administrator)
A vastly experienced Motorsport Public Relations operator, journalist, commentator and photographer, Mark brings his unique angle to The Race Torque in both words and imagery. As well as serving as our key photographer on the ground at major events around Australia (and overseas), Walker will often chime in with his unique and pin-point sharp viewpoint of the racing world via the keyboard too.
