Press Release

MEDIA EMBARGO

not to be released until

21:00 Tuesday 6th May 2003

Wednesday 30th April

FRIENDS OF LAKESIDE/ SAVE LAKESIDE

Lakeside International Raceway can now lay claim for being "The Heritage Home of Motorsport in Queensland", this comes some 15 months after Mr Robert Hardacre's Heritage nomination.

Co-founder of Friends of Lakeside Mr Trevor "Shelby" Beutel, has said "This is an Australian First, Queenslanders can be proud, so too can Australian motorsport be as proud". This possibly is a World First, as Lakeside has heritage of the full circuit, unlike Brooklands (UK) the first ever autodrome in the world, that only has part heritage of the members banking hill end, a great majority of that track has been lost to housing and industrial development.

Along with some of Queensland's greatest heritage treasures, now motorsport can be included with this icon that has seen in the 60's famous drivers of the calibre of World Champions Sir Jack Brabham, Sir Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt, John Surtees, and Denny Hulme. Even Sir Frank Williams Owner of the Williams Formula One Team visited Lakeside with a Brabham Cosworth for F1 driver Piers Courage.

Lakeside has an endless pedigree of famous international and national champion drivers and riders that have raced the circuit. Our own Queenslander Mick Doohan Five times 500cc Motorcycle World Champion says "if you have raced at Lakeside, you are well prepared to race anywhere in the world". Queensland's favourite son, Dick Johnson won the first of his five Australian Touring Car Championship titles to a screaming crowd of some 35 000 motorsport fans at Lakeside.

The founder of Lakeside, Mr Sid Sakzewski along with all his loyal volunteers and business supporters might never have imagined Lakeside future in Queensland's heritage history, if I take a quote from the Mayor of the Pine Rivers Shire Council who knew Sid from the beginning of Lakeside, "... I believe it was through Sid's sheer dedication that it [Lakeside Motor Racing Circuit] has become known throughout the world as one the greatest circuits ...". In Lakeside's heyday it was listed in the top 100 in the world as a fast circuit.

Trevor would like to thank his many dedicated "Friends of Lakeside" and sponsors for all their hard work in making this possible. Trevor also wishes to express his gratitude to the Heritage department Projects Team and Board.

For further recognition of these people, please visit our website www.savelakeside.org

Further information will be forthcoming as now the project is to seek further Local and State Government assistance to ensure Lakeside does have a motorsport heritage future, in the hope of holding historic motoring festivals and other events along with a museum of Queensland's entire motorsports history including Lakeside's 40 years of history.

Trevor (Shelby) Beutel

Mobile 0418 789 307