Fan drives from Sydney to Warwick for motorsport meet
IF YOU think driving to Toowoomba or Brisbane for a sporting fix is a long way, think again - Darryl Wilkes drove from Sydney to Warwick at the weekend to watch the Short Circuit Motor Sport Association meeting at Morgan Park Raceway.
He drove north in his BMW E30 325IS, a registered vehicle he may enter in this year's Pittsworth Sprints.
Wilkes was in town to support mate Noel Preston who was driving a 1981 Commodore.
"I drive up for a number of times a year for sprint meetings," Wilkes said.
A retired manager, Wilkes said he needed to drive to Queensland for short circuit racing as they don't have similar meetings in New South Wales.
"They had a good crowd," he said.
A low loader owner operator from Victoria Point in Brisbane, Preston will be on the road this morning to Mackay in his day job.
At age 67, Preston shows no signs of retirement but enjoys the short circuit series and the chance for a break from business.
"I was keen to come when I knew it was at Morgan Park," Preston said.
"Morgan Park is a good surface which doesn't eat tyres up and is quite a challenge."
Meeting secretary Robyn Devine, of Warwick, said it was her first time in the role and competitors were happy for the series round to be at Morgan Park.
"This is my first time and I am still sitting here and still smiling," she said.
"Our next round will be at Morgan Park Raceway on May 24-25."
There were 130 nominations and 115 competed on the 1.2km circuit.
"We had drivers from as far as Evans Heads, Noosa, Gold Coast and Lismore," Devine said.
Association secretary Fred Berge said the meeting was one of the best for a long time.
"The quality of the cars was excellent," he said.
"One of the fastest was the 2000 Audi owned by Corey Baker, of Jimboomba. We ran our short circuit championship and a sprint meeting at the weekend and the challenge between five drivers from Queensland and five from New South Wales."
Round 1 in the Queensland Super Sprints for A series drivers will be held this weekend,
See weekend results and more photos tomorrow.
