The Race Torque ventured to the Geelong Revival over the weekend, a classic event with massive potential.

First contested in 1956, the sprints along the Geelong foreshore have had an on-again-off-again run over the years – it returned in 2012 following an eight-year hiatus, before the pandemic bowled over the event in the last two years.

Through time, Geelong has played host to a who’s who of world motorsport, with famous names like Sir Jack Brabham, Sir Stirling Moss, Mika Hakkinen, Alan Jones, Johnny Herbert and Pedro Lamy attending.

Locals such as Bob Jane, Lex Davison, Tony Gaze, Bib Stillwell, Norm Beechey, Doug Whitford, Jim McKeown and John Harvey have also been joined by more contemporary icons, like Dick Johnson, Jim Richards, Glenn Seton, Craig Lowndes, Win Percy and more.

The Geelong Revival isn’t alone in the genre of street sprints in Australia, and the 400m gently curving uphill blast isn’t the most challenging layout, but it is held in one of the best locations.

When you think of Geelong, it’s easy for your mind to default to images of industry – the refinery or the old Ford factory, but the downtown area is a hidden delight, with the foreshore parkland having vistas back across the sailing boats on Port Phillip Bay towards Melbourne

There are a lot of parallels that can be drawn between Geelong and Newcastle with its coal port, but the downtown area of the Supercars street circuit is another gem that has been uncovered for the masses by motorsport.

Even though the weather wasn’t the best at times, it was still a cool setting for a gathering of rev heads.

The beauty of the modern-day Geelong Revival is that it is a true motoring festival focusing on car culture rather than simply sending cars up a cordoned off street.

Shannons Insurance gets behind a significant car show, with many local enthusiasts and car clubs in attendance, extending out to supercar displays, motorcycles, vintage boats, army and range rover kit, caravans and more.

Away from the machines, there’s a ferris wheel, food trucks, vintage fashion shows, helicopter rides and plenty of sideshows for the kids.

The setting was perfect, there were loads of people in the event precinct, and the vibe was great.

Also, it had free admission, especially on the vast hill overlooking the track, with patrons free to wander the various sideshows. However, the pits were ticketed, granting access to the cars up close and a trackside bar, with punters able to upgrade to a fully catered corporate suite.

The competition attracted an eclectic mix from both the 2 + 4 worlds, with the opening day dedicated to newer tin tops, with the Sunday set aside for more vintage spec machinery.

From Zac Soutar’s TCR Honda Civic to a Tesla, to hot rods, and a remarkable collection of historic Porsches, there was something in the mix for everyone.

The field was packed with various road cars and local specials, and not knocking them, but if there were more significant historic competition machines entered, it would without a doubt be a red-letter event on the motorsport calendar.

Obviously, with the Phillip Island Classic this coming weekend, many premium classic racers would be focussed on that highlight event – an issue that would have been overcome if Geelong was able to run in its original scheduled slot last November.

No matter the makeup of the entry, it genuinely has a lot of the vibes you would expect from an event at the Goodwood Hillclimb.

With the festival aspect already in place, a perfect location, and a genuine heritage to its credit, the Geelong Revival has the potential to become a destination event for motorsport Down Under.