VINTAGE and classic motor cars are set to fill the streets of Albany once again for the annual Albany Motor Classic.
Held on Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3, the weekend is a favourite for locals and visitors from all over the State, with between 10,000 and 15,000 visitors expected this year.
The weekend includes two key events – the Mount Clarence Hill Climb on the Saturday and the main event on Sunday – an around the houses style race.
The hill climb starts at 9am and it is expected about 60 to 70 vehicles will partake, based on last year.
The star event which is expected to include about 150 vehicles, is a race based on the regularity of time, meaning drivers nominate a time and whoever gets the closest to their time is the winner.
This event will kick off at 9:30am and finish around 4:30pm.
For each event of the main race, drivers will complete six laps of the 1.5 kilometre track that is set within the Albany CBD and overlooks the pristine Princess Royal Harbour, with the start/finish line at the Albany Public Library and the pits based at the library car park.
As always, spectators will be able to wander freely through the pit areas to check out the cars and chat to the drivers.
Albany has an extensive motor history and the Albany Motor Classic dates back to 1936.
In the mid-1930s, Albany was still feeling the effects of the Great Depression and in an attempt to bring some vibrancy back to the town, the council organised the Back to Albany Festival and the motor event was a major feature, which included the WA 50 mile TT Car Race that set the beginning for Albany’s colourful motor history.
The Back to Albany Festival was a hit in its day and included a broad spectrum of entertainment and activities, such as a croquet tournament, a tennis competition, cricket match, bowling carnival, golf tournament, dancing and much more.
In 1991 the Motor Classic was restructured to suit the modern day and an updated track was added.
Albany Motor Classic co-ordinator Vicki Clark said the current event catered for all demographics and showcased Albany and the Great Southern region, as well as honouring the original event.
“It has been turned into an event that has something for everyone,” Ms Clark said.
The fun doesn’t just end with the motor events as there is also a family festival with entertainment from local artists, including Cyclone Tracy from Denmark who will perform for the first time, food stalls promoting local food providers and produce and new to this year will be an arts and crafts markets with products made in the Great Southern by people who live in the region.
“We have so many talented people, whether it is quilting or artwork, the range of talent in this region is amazing so we are hoping to bring a lot of those people together and really showcase what is down here,” Ms Clark said.
Leading into the weekend organisers are hoping to add a new event, which will be called the Great Southern 500.
This event reflects on the Genevieve 500 when Albany-based businessman Paul Terry organised a charity race from Albany to Perth, with the funds going towards the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).
The race honoured the 1953 film Genevieve and in 1989 Paul bought the actual car from the film, a 1904 10 to 12 horsepower Darracq, which he drove in the Genevieve 500.
In 2012, Katanning business owner Ash Severin recreated the Genevieve 500 and Albany Motor Classic organisers are optimistic that in working with Mr Severin they can organise a similar drive this year.
If the Great Southern 500 is pencilled in for 2018, it will be a charity drive, starting in Perth on Monday, May 28 and finishing in Albany on Friday, June 1, with the proceeds being donated to the RFDS and the Albany Community Hospice.
The Great Southern 500 is likely to be about a 600km drive, passing through Narrogin, Katanning and the Stirling Ranges.
As well as creating a memorable experience for drivers and car enthusiasts, the Great Southern 500 would also generate a great deal of buzz and excitement for the country towns that the drive stops at – all in the spirit of a historic motor car memory home to Albany.
“The whole idea is to create some fun for the people participating, getting them to areas and towns that they might not normally see and perhaps being involved in activities that they wouldn’t usually do,” Ms Clark said.
“We would certainly like to involve local service clubs, shires, local businesses and local talents to provide entertainment.
“It would be a great opportunity for local communities to showcase what makes their town unique and a great place to visit because our small communities tend to get overshadowed by the capital cities so it would be a great opportunity to show what country towns have to offer.”
For the hill climb and around the streets events, the cars are separated into five categories of vehicles and vary each year, depending on the entries.
Last year the categories were Production Cars Pre 1984 (with attractions such as a 1972 Ford Escort Mk1, a 1968 Datsun 1600 sedan and 1980 Ford Escort RS200), Sport & Race Cars Pre 1960 (which included the 1960 Triumph special and 1948 MGTC Racer), Historic Touring Cars Pre 1960 (with the 1964 Morris Cooper S and the 1972 Holden Torana GTR XU1), Race Cars 1935-1982 (which had the 1962 E-Type Jaguar coupé and the 1966 GT40) and Sports Cars (which included the 1973 Datsun 240z and 1974 Mazda RX3 coupé).
Prior to the main event taking place, all drivers have the chance to test the course to ensure they become familiar with the track and monitor their timing.
In recent years, the around the houses style race has been restructured to have less but longer events, creating a better experience for the driver and spectators.
This year, there will be three events for each of the five vehicle categories.
There will also be an extensive display of vehicles over the weekend, with a combination of street machines and vintage cars.
Favourites of the weekend are tipped to be Albany locals who are regulars at the Motor Classic; Kevin Organ with his 1968 HK 327 GTS Monaro and Glenn Badger in his 1971 XW GT Ford Falcon.
Seeing as this year marks the 50th anniversary of the 1968 HK Monaro, Ms Clark said there would be even more excitement for this favourite classic.
“I hope this year there will be a big display of the HK Monaro to celebrate this milestone for the car and Kevin is sure to be a celebrity this year,” she said.
The two Albany men are well known in the Albany area for their passion of classic and vintage cars and have been involved in the Albany Motor Classic for a number of years – both men are committee members of the event.
“I’ve always had an interest in cars but when I saw the first re-enactment of the Albany Classic in action in the early 1990s in action, I decided I had to have a go,” Mr Organ said.
He has been a regular at the Albany Motor Classic with his much-loved HK Monaro which his has owned for 12 years and will most likely be entering it in this year’s event.
“It is a great weekend, it brings a lot of people to town and we are just racing for a bit of fun with no pressure – just trying to put on a show for the crowd,” Mr Organ said.
In addition to all the excitement around the classic and vintage wheels and the festivities, Albany Motor organisers are determined to increase awareness about community issues and this year are planning to focus on recycling.
“We would be keen to work with organisations such as Cleanaway and Green Skills to raise awareness about recycling,” Ms Clark said.
“Rather than just having one bin, why not try get three different types of bins and educate people about what the bins are about to help improve our recycling on the day and promote it in the community.
“I think it’s a very important aspect of our day-to-day living so as an event, we can be a lot more effective with how we run it and how we do our waste management.”
Event organisers are hopeful that pedestrians crossing the track will be made a lot easier if they can lock in an overpass bridges.
This would mean the track wouldn’t have to be closed every second or third event so the races would run quicker and much smoother for all those involved.
These bridges depend on funding from sponsors which are not locked in yet, but it is estimated they could set the budget back by $50,000.
Ms Clark said if the pedestrian bridges didn’t happen this year, then they would almost definitely have them for next year.
Much of the event set-up and the operations on the day come down to the help of generous volunteers and the Albany Motor Classic will enlist the help of about 200 to 250 volunteers.
Ms Clark said the community’s volunteer spirit was continually strong for the Albany Motor Classic.
“We are also seeing the children of some of the long-term volunteers coming a long and getting involved, which I think is wonderful,” she said.
“It is quite exciting seeing young people getting involved.”
In recent years Ms Clark has also noticed a change within the demographic of spectators.
“A couple of years ago it seemed there were a lot more children and young families but last year I noticed quite a high number of grandparents with grandchildren,” she said.
“About five years ago, it was very much looked as an event for people aged above 50-years-old but it is not that at all now.
“I think it is very much a family event now.”