{"id":180933,"date":"2017-06-12T23:55:28","date_gmt":"2017-06-12T13:55:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=180933"},"modified":"2020-09-14T11:24:24","modified_gmt":"2020-09-14T01:24:24","slug":"thrills-and-spills-at-sprints","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2017\/06\/12\/thrills-and-spills-at-sprints\/","title":{"rendered":"Thrills And Spills At Sprints"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A 1963 Austin Healey Sprite and a pack of Commodores wait patiently for their turn at the starting line<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Off-road racing legend – and Dakar Rally veteran – Bruce Garland at the starting line in his Ford Escort<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

June 13, 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wondai’s second annual Street Sprints attracted a good crowd on Saturday and Sunday; spectators had the opportunity to watch some classic cars go through their paces … and see some unexpected thrills and spills.<\/p>\n

The sprints are timed laps with only one vehicle on the track at a time.<\/p>\n

Drivers race against the clock rather than directly against other drivers, which is probably a good thing.<\/p>\n

Saturday got off to an eventful start when the driver of a blue Ford FPV GT appeared to lose control in the first chicane during a non-timed familiarisation lap.<\/p>\n

He left the circuit, smashed through a wire gate and fence and hit the corner of a large shed, taking out the power supply to the building and severing a water pipe.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, no one was injured but the Ford was badly damaged.<\/p>\n

It was a dramatic start to the day.<\/p>\n

Later, a replica Bathurst Supercar Holden Commodore also had a moment at a chicane and hit a fence, damaging the rear of the car but not enough to stop the vehicle from going out later for more laps.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, an RMC Cobra (a Ford Cobra replica) struck a fence at the rear of Wondai Electrical Services. Again, no one was hurt but the fence was damaged.<\/p>\n

Fans could enjoy the action in more comfort this year, with more spectator stands placed around the track.<\/p>\n

These were filled on both days.<\/p>\n

Inspirational driver Vikki Paxton, from Yatala, recorded the fastest time on the weekend in her open-wheel Dallara F301.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Paxton, who came third in last year’s event, is lucky to be able to walk let alone drive a racing car,<\/p>\n

In 1991, she was a promising Formula Ford driver when she was involved in a bad crash at Amaroo Park.<\/p>\n

Stranded in the middle of the track with no gears, she was a sitting duck for a back marker.<\/p>\n

Paxton ended up with a broken back, pelvis, ribs, jaw as well as internal and neck injuries.<\/p>\n

After years of rehabilitation, Paxton climbed back into a race car, the Dallara built by her husband, and is now a common sight on the street sprint circuit.<\/p>\n

Last year’s Wondai Sprints winner,\u00a0Toowoomba driver Ray Vandersee, was second fastest this year in his Skelta G-Force, just .0087 seconds behind Paxton.<\/p>\n

Justin McCarthy, from Bribie Island, took the double: his vintage Austin 7\u00a0Sports Special recorded the slowest lap time last year, and repeated the feat in 2017.<\/p>\n

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Motorsport guru Will Hagon manned the microphone providing commentary all day Saturday and Sunday<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The Ford FPV GT in better days … shortly after this photo was taken both the Falcon and a Wondai shed were much the worse for wear (Photo: Denise Keelan Photography)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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David Jamieson, from CAMS, with Motors In Motion organising committee members John Box and Kevin Krosch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Steve Krosch was driving his brother Kevin’s well-known blue Ford Capri<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Paul Want with Motors In Motion committee member Denis Carroll; the 1989 twin spark Alfa Romeo was Denis’ road car for about 15 years, and then sat in a paddock for another 12; Denis sent it up to his stepson Paul at Atherton who replaced some components, got it running and brought it back down to the South Burnett just last Monday …<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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… while Denis was working with the Alfa Romeo, wife Cherry Carroll was busy directing traffic on the starting grid<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Motors In Motion committee member Malcolm Rea with his 2007 Toyota Corolla<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Marjorie and Graham Crittenden, from Kingaroy, with their 1912 Model 61 Overland, nicknamed “Whitey” … the couple have owned the vehicle for 51 years; the historic racer set the Sydney-Brisbane and Brisbane-Toowoomba records in 1918<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Neil McLeod, from Lockyer Valley, with his self-designed and built Mactec … it’s powered by a Suzuki Hayabusa engine and the kevlar body weighs just 36kg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Taabinga Rotary members were looking after the main gate at the parking area and assisting with the shuttle bus … some of the volunteers, from left, Ralph and Kay Clark, Tony Rossi, Kimberley McCullagh and Mark Hutchison<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A 1971 Ford Falcon XY makes its way up the back straight …<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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One of the Bathurst replica Commodores lays down some rubber on the starting line<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A 1978 Holden Torana goes through its paces around the Wondai track …<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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You don’t have to prove a thing … there were several Mini drivers testing their skills at the weekend<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

External links:<\/strong><\/p>\n