The Classic Master of Mac Park event stunned spectators yet again last weekend as riders navigated their way through evolving conditions on their vintage machines.
Across two celebratory days, motoring enthusiasts from all over the country dusted off their retro bikes and gave the spectators an experience for their senses.
More than one hundred vintage motorcycles from all eras ranging from distinctive 1930’s classics to sleeker 1990’s missiles graced the sweeping McNamara Park across two days of action.
The most outrageous spectacle is always the sidecars with many flying down the hill approaching the final turn with one wheel in the air plus a passenger also hanging off the edge.
These dare-devils stunned the crowd as they chased for glory in the main event of the weekend – the Laurie Fox Memorial sidecar feature race.
The coveted event is a highlight of the sidecar calendar and the trophy has often fell in the hands of Limestone Coast stars Stephen and David Jones.
However, the Jones pair found themselves racing side by side on separate machines on the track this year and it was Stephen, who won the bragging rights.
Onboard a Suzuki 600 with Tyler Harris, Stephen Jones had his work cut out starting from fourth position on the grid with only five laps available to charge towards the front.
After a quiet first lap the Jones-Harris combination made its move on a blistering second lap.
The Suzuki crossed the line for the first time in fourth position, more than a second behind the nearest rival, but one lap later flew past in second place.
Keen to continue the charge, Jones and Harris set their sights set on the leader David Jones and Rebecca Boggiano, who was almost two seconds up the road.
But this was no problem for the #46 Suzuki 600, which was in a league of its own.
At that stage the fastest lap was in the high one minute 24 second bracket, but Jones and Harris smashed the timesheets recording a 1:23.66.
This blistering time was enough to snatch the lead in formidable fashion and the #46 looked set to ride into the distance.
However, the Stuart and Brad Gorrie Shellbourne 600 was also flying through the field and made its way up to second spot.
The Gorrie’s still had some late-race pace up its sleeve and used it to setup a grandstand finish.
The #105 Shellbourne cut through Jones and Harris’ lead with the gap down to half a second as the bikes approached the final sweeping section of the lap.
All eyes were on Stuart and Brad Gorrie if they could make a desperate lunge at the final corner, but they were not close enough.
Jones and Harris held on to take home a memorable Laurie Fox Memorial sidecar feature race.
For the second successive year, David Trotter crushed the opposition in the Period 3 feature race.
Onboard a Matchless 650, Trotter was untouchable, leading every lap of the race to take the chequered flag more than 30 seconds ahead of his nearest rival Stan Mucha.
The fight for the Period 4 Classic Master of Mac Park title was an intriguing one with the finish catching everyone by surprise.
Simon Cook raced out of the blocks and looked set to take out the trophy enjoying a 10 second lead as he entered the final lap of the race.
However, Cook’s dream was over as he could not complete the final lap and was forced to suffer an emotional DNF.
His shock departure opened the door for Team Africa’s Christian Carlson to ride into the sunset and claim a fortunate win from Haydn Jones and Tim Kingston.
Cook had his shot at redemption in the Period 5 event which was stacked with 17 competitors.
But no one could stop Lachlan Hill from storming to a dominant win.
Hill was at one with his Yamaha 350 to win by 20 seconds over Cook, who held off Jamie Banks, Gavin Thus and Chris Hayward in a tight race for the podium.
