August 09, 2024
The oldest driver in the oldest and slowest car at the Sprints is a mantle Justin McCarthy wears proudly.
Justin is aged 84 and his Austin Seven Sports Special dates from 1925 – that’s 99 years old!
With a puny 749 cc side-valve, four-cylinder engine, the little Seven tootles around the one kilometre Sprints course in about one minute 30 seconds, stone motherless last.
But at Leyburn it’s the spirit of competition that counts – and Justin has plenty of that.
“I didn’t start racing until I was 75. As well as the Sprints, I’ve competed at the Noosa Hillclimb and Morgan Park. At Morgan Park they told me I couldn’t race because the Austin was too slow!”
Justin is literally a lifelong Austin Seven enthusiast. He owns a second example he’s had since he was 16 and points out – appropriately for the weekend’s 75th AGP Anniversary celebrations – that the winner of the first Australian Grand Prix, at Phillip Island in 1928, was . . an Austin Seven.
When not racing he takes one of his machines to retirement villages and talks to residents about motoring in the old days.
Justin and his Seven have the honour of being Car 1 on the Leyburn entry list and first starter for every run cycle.
And the Seven enjoys one further distinction – it’s the only competing car with a crank handle.
“I’ll be 85 next year and was thinking of pulling the pin, but I’ll see how I’m going,” he says.
Come back, Justin – we want to see your Austin Seven turn 100 next year.
