September 8, 2014
Wondai is set to become the home of motorsport in the South Burnett with the unveiling of the Wondai Street Sprints, to be raced on a street track in the industrial estate.
Motors In Motion Inc president Kevin Krosch said today the CAMS-affiliated event, similar to the popular Leyburn Motor Sprints, would be run next year.
The date that has been pencilled in – but yet to be finally approved – is the weekend of June 20-21 with scrutineering to be held on the Friday (June 19)
Kevin said Motors In Motion had already run the idea past local business owners in the industrial estate, and had also received a tick from South Burnett Mayor Wayne Kratzmann.
He said the Mayor had inspected the proposed course and had been “quite supportive”.
In fact, Mayor Kratzmann told southburnett.com.au he was the “number one fan” of the proposal which he said would benefit Wondai and the South Burnett as a whole.
Kevin said only one vehicle would be on the course at a time. They would compete against the clock in various classes.
Like the Leyburn Sprints, the types of vehicles racing would include Minis and Cortinas, sports coupes, older model Holdens and Fords, classic racers, open wheelers and hill-climbers.
The group scouted potential courses throughout the South Burnett before settling on the Wondai Industrial Estate as the best possible location.
Kevin said word of the event had already spread like wildfire.
“All the drivers already know about this track in the South Burnett and are getting excited,” he said.
Kevin said there were no sprint events located in this part of Queensland.
He said there were a lot of drivers in the Bundaberg and Sunshine Coast areas who would enjoy racing at a more central track.
The aim was to attract 150 cars. The drivers and their support crews could either camp on site or stay in local accommodation.
There could also be flow-on benefits to other tourism businesses in the area.
“Many of the drivers are older and have retired. They are likely to stay a bit longer and explore the area,” Kevin said.
Motors In Motion also hoped to involve as many local not-for-profit groups as possible over the weekend to spread the benefits of the event.
The task now was to raise sponsors.
“The minimum amount of money we have to raise just to make it happen will be $15,000 to $20,000,” Kevin said.
He said talks had already begun in relation to naming rights.
The event will also need a small army of volunteers on the day – including track and flag marshalls.
Training would be organised beforehand for anyone interested in these roles.
“You don’t need to have a car to get involved,” he said.
“If you’re interested in helping, just contact us. We’ll give you a job!”
Kevin can be contacted on 0428-622-749.
For information about the race meeting, visit the Wondai Street Sprints website.
NB. The 2014 Motors in Motion will be held on October 25 this year as usual at Kingaroy Airport; however the committee has decided to cancel the 2015 event to concentrate on getting the Wondai Sprints up and running.
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2013 Historic Leyburn Sprints
