GALLERY: #TBT 2006 LEYBURN SPRINTS
FOR the past 25 years, a sleepy Queensland town have been celebrating the Australian Grand Prix in their own unique way.
IMAGES: Mark Walker
Introducing the Leyburn Sprints.
Leyburn, a town of 416 residents, halfway along the back road between Towoomba and Warwick, played host to the 1949 Australian Grand Prix, which was contested on a WW II US constructed airfield just outside of the town borders.
Won by John Crouch in a Delahaye, the event was the first time the AGP were to be held in Queensland, with it later being rotated to Southport, Lowood, Lakeside and Surfers Paradise.
The event was also notable for a couple of firsts: the first time a full grid start was utilised for an AGP, and also the first time practice times determined the starting order.
Ever since 1996, the town itself has been the home for an historic street sprint, regularly drawing hundreds of competitors, and some very notable machinery, special guests and thousands of spectators.
The event returns on August 22nd to 23rd, with further information available on the Leyburn Sprints website.
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.
