Less than a month remains until cars hit the track for the inaugural One Raceway Historic Summer Spectacular on 7-8 February, and fans of classic German sports cars are in for a special treat.
Half a dozen Porsche 911s are set to compete in the Group S (Classic Production Sports Car) category, while a Porsche 928 will also be on the grid in the hands of South Australian Tim Lynas.
Drivers competing in 911s include Doug Barbour (his car, pictured, appropriately wears the #911 race number), Brian Taylor, William Robinson, David Cunneen and Graham Gulson.
Another prominent name on the entry list is Peter Boylan. An accomplished racer with class wins in the 2002 and 2003 editions of the Bathurst 24 Hour and experience at prestigious international venues such as the Nurburgring and Spa-Francorchamps, Boylan also played a key role in the development of V8 Supercar drivers Neil Crompton and Mark Larkham, giving them opportunities to race his Ralt RT20 in the Australian Drivers Championship early in their careers.
These days, Boylan is enjoying his time in the Group S category and is especially passionate about introducing the next generation of fans into the sport.
“When I’m at a race meeting, I always make a point of allowing spectators - especially children - to sit in my race car and I encourage them to have their photos taken,” Boylan said.
“Recently, a couple of kids sat in my car on the Saturday of a race meeting; on the Sunday, they came back and brought all their friends along, which just shows you how this sort of gesture can advertise motor racing..
“As historic racers, I see it as our duty to be the custodians of the sport and if we can do small things like this to get young people excited, you never know - some of them might turn out to be future competitors.”
Boylan previously raced a 2.7 Litre right-hand-drive Porsche 911, but is currently competing in a 3.0 Litre left-hand-drive version.
“Porsche didn’t sell a lot of the 2.7L cars because they didn’t meet emissions standards in the US,” Boylan said.
“I’ve found the 3.0L model to be a better-balanced race car; because it’s left-hand-drive, as it was originally designed, it’s much easier to set up and the handling is more forgiving.”
While Boylan has vast experience at the old Wakefield Park circuit, the Historic Summer Spectacular will be his first visit to the facility since it reopened as One Raceway.
“The fact we get to race in two different directions on the same weekend is really exciting - I can’t wait,” he said.
“I think the change of direction will challenge a lot of drivers, but us Porsche racers will have a lot of fun and put on a good show for the fans.”
The Porsche entries form part of a Group S field that consists of more than 30 cars, with the entry list encompassing other well-known sports cars such as MGB, Chevrolet Corvette, Alfa Romeo GTV and Datsun 240Z.
Spectator entry for the Historic Summer Spectacular is $25 for Saturday, $35 for Sunday or $40 for a two-day pass; tickets can be purchased at the gate, or pre-purchased online at a discounted price HERE.
Competitor entries for the One Raceway Historic Summer Spectacular are still open, and can be submitted HERE.
