HE GREW up watching the Bathurst 1000, admiring the drivers as they roared around the track.

He loved their swift overtaking moves, the fast pit stops and of course, the cars - the smell of burning rubber, fuel and oil.

He loved the sound of the engines roaring to life on the start line.

Yangan resident Robin Todd remembers travelling to the Great Race when he was a kid in a 1958 Austin Lancer.

Now, he races one.

Since an early age Mr Todd had wanted to race cars.

With his son Cameron by his side, Mr Todd has been attending the Leyburn Sprints since the beginning.

"We race for the love of it," Mr Todd said.

"It's always a great weekend catching up with mates and just enjoying ourselves.

"It's something different and allows us to get the race car out of the shed and onto the track."

A few years ago Mr Todd and his wife moved from Brisbane to their now quiet home in Yangan.

"We loved the area and decided we were in need of a tree change," Mr Todd said.

"Now I'm even closer to Morgan Park and more importantly Leyburn."

Mr Todd lovingly keeps his car in pristine condition.

He has never had a crash in the 1958 Austin Lancer but his son Cameron has had a close call.

"A few years ago my son ran into a hay bale here on the Leyburn track," Mr Todd said.

"But other than that the car has never had a ding."

Although more than 200 cars raced at the weekend's Leyburn Sprints event Mr Todd's was the only car in that particular class.

"I was the only historic touring car in group NA," Mr Todd said.

"It's great being the only car in your class because you can always come out with a trophy."

At the weekend there were more than 50 different categories of historic race cars including historic pre-war over 3000cc, historic sports cars, production sports car and special interest cars.

An off-track event at the weekend was the spectacular show and shine.

Pre-1950s vehicles and the best of the 1960s, '70s, '80s and '90s were on show.