PREVIEW – 2019 GEELONG REVIVAL MOTORING FESTIVAL - JUST CARS

PREVIEW – 2019 Geelong Revival Motoring Festival

Photos: Caprice Photography

First held in 2012, the Geelong Revival Motoring Festival has become a favourite with fans of both two and four wheels.

The event has grown each year since that debut, with new features and fan-friendly initiatives added that have drawn hundreds of thousands of spectators.

The Geelong Revival is a re-establishment of the Geelong Speed Trials – quarter-mile sprints that were first held on Ritchie Boulevard (a public road on Geelong’s waterfront) in 1956.

The speed trials ran annually ‘til the early 2000s and attracted famous motorsport names, like Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Craig Lowndes, Norm Beechey, Dick Johnson, Jim Richards, Mika Hakkinen, Bob Jane and Alan Jones, to name a few.

With two bends in the length of the quarter-mile sprint course, Ritchie Boulevard presents a unique challenge for competitors (even experienced names like those mentioned), requiring both skill and concentration.

In bringing the speed trials back, the Geelong Revival has brought a whole raft of new attractions, too

Fan Friendly

With one side of Ritchie Boulevard faced by a sloping grass hill, spectators get the ultimate viewpoint of the automotive action; looking across not only the sprint course, but also the pits and Corio Bay.

All the other Geelong Revival attractions are only minutes away from Ritchie Boulevard, including the Shannons Classic Motor Show, vintage caravan display, trade expo, National Vintage Fashion Awards, supercar display, motorcycle mecca, market stalls and even a vintage boat display. Yes, boats are part of the show, too, with these nautical classics, (presented by the Royal Geelong Yacht Club), definitely worth a look.

Plenty of food and drink options are on site, with kids’ attractions and activities close by, too.

If two days of everything automotive is just too much, Geelong’s CBD, with abundant shopping, restaurants and bars, is just a short walk away, while other waterfront attractions and the Geelong Botanic Gardens are within walking distance, too.

Best of all, it’s free to view the sprints, with free entry to the classic motor show and other attractions, too. If you want to get closer to the action, ticketed entry to the pits and paddock area is available, priced from $4.50/day for kids and $19.50/day for adults.

For a more immersive Geelong Revival experience, VIP passes are also available. Placing you close to the track, with the sights, sounds and smells of the pits just behind, one-day and two-day VIP passes include shaded seating, food and drinks all day, plus a complimentary event program. There’s also the ‘Ultimate Package’ that ups the ante on the VIP treatment.

Before the weekend’s sprint action, the City Cruise will be held on the evening of Friday, 22 November, with more than 300 cool, classic and special cars and motorcycles travelling in convoy from Corio to the Geelong Waterfront and CBD.

New for 2019

There are a number of new attractions at this year’s Geelong Revival, including several themed displays and the chance for spectators to get involved at a more tangible level.

Demo Track: An extension of last year’s popular Jaguar Super Sprint - which gave punters the chance to ride in a new Jag - the new Demo Track will feature vehicle demonstrations and special events each day.

Conveniently located near the main sprint course, the Demo Track offers spectators the chance to get involved, too. Test drives of new vehicles will be available, as well as the chance to ride as a passenger in a classic. Check out the Geelong Revival website – geelongrevival.com.au – for more details on what’s on offer at the Demo Track.

Aussie Muscle: The late 1960s and early 1970s were the golden era of Australian muscle cars, when home-grown performance machines from Ford, Holden and Chrysler fought for track supremacy at Mount Panorama and on the circuits of the Australian Touring Car Championship, as well as in the showrooms.

This year, that golden era will be celebrated when great examples of historic Aussie muscle will fire up in the quarter mile sprints.

Big Wheels: Another new feature is ‘Big Wheels’. Located in Transvaal Square (between the Ritchie Boulevard sprint course and Demo Track), Big Wheels is all about trucks, with working vehicles old and new invited to display – as long as they’re big! As well as the trucks, Big Wheels will also feature large 4x4s and other heavy machines.

Westside JDM Display: As the interest in classic Japanese cars continues to grow, the Geelong Revival will feature a special display for ‘Made in Japan’ machinery on Saturday, 23 November.

Created in partnership with Westside JDM and located at the Eastern Beach display area, the display is open to new and old Japanese vehicles, as well as selected Asian imports.

Entry to the Westside JDM Display is free for Japanese car owners, with general and marque-specific Japanese car clubs welcome, too, but pre-registration is essential, via the Geelong Revival website.

French Car Day: On Sunday, 24 November, the Eastern Beach display area goes all Gallic with the French Car Day.

With Citroen celebrating its 100th Anniversary this year and innovative new product rolling out of the factories of not only Citroen, but also Renault and Peugeot, there’s more interest in French cars than ever before.

The French Car Day will allow spectators to explore new and old examples of these familiar marques, as well as lesser-known and long-gone French names, like Simca, Alpine, Panhard, Delage, Sizaire-Naudin, Matra, Hotchkiss and even Bugatti.

Entry to the French Car Day is free for owners of French-made cars, with general and marque-specific French car clubs welcome, too, but pre-registration (via the Geelong Revival website) is essential.

Other themed displays this year will celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Mini, 50 years of the Bolwell Nagari, 50 years of Honda in Australia and 40 years of Mad Max.