c1980 Litre Speedway Classic Race Car

Description

Sprint car racing in Australia has been a popular form of motorsport since the early 1970s, with oval track events held all over the country as part of the Australian Sprintcar Championship.  The sport flourished with the advent of the World Series Sprintcars in 1987 and the cars themselves evolved from the earliest primitive machines to the highly specialized, professionally built vehicles of today.  The addition of wings to increase downforce radically changed the look of sprint car racing, first appearing back in the late 1950s and officially recognised by sanctioning bodies around the world.  The top sprint cars in Australia were limited to 6-litre V8s engines until the late 1990s but there are now separate classes for both entry level 5.9-litre (360-cid) and the Open (410-cid) class cars, along with various other formula catering for a range of budgets and experience.  The Litre Sprint series, for example, offers aspiring drivers the chance to learn the skills without the expense of the big V8s, with competitors limited to modified small car engines or standard motorbike motors as they compete for state and national titles.  Many well-known drivers cut their teeth at speedways arounds the country, with Sydney’s Garry Rush the undisputed king of the sport, holding the record of ten Australian championships between 1966 and 1998.  Sprint car racing remains hugely popular today, with over 300 registered drivers competing around Australia.  Fast, loud and with lots of thrills and spills, sprint car racing is an action-packed form of grass-roots motorsport that attracts plenty of prize money and good crowds.