January 30, 2023 | By Bronwen Largier
Following on from the last-minute cancellation of the Longford Grand Prix Expo earlier this month, weeks out from the March event, the Tasmanian Government has granted $150,000 in funding for a replacement event the same weekend – run by the organisers of the Longford Motorama which some say was pushed aside to make way for the Grand Prix event.
Called The Long Weekend in Longford, the car and motorcycle showcase event will be held between March 10 and 13.
The event will be led by Justin Brown, Robert Knott, John Talbot and Neil Kearney, who are all involved with Longford’s motoring history. Brown and Knott led the organisation of the Longford Motorama which has run for the last three years in the same Tasmanian town just outside Launceston.
“Following the unfortunate cancelation of the GPX event in recent weeks, I’m pleased that our government is able to support the organisers of a new motorsport showcase in Longford,” said Tasmania’s Premier, Jeremy Rockliff.
“The enthusiasm shown in ensuring the motorsport and Northern Midlands communities don’t miss out on sharing their motorsport history has been great, and I’m sure the event will be a success.
“The Long Weekend in Longford will include historic cars and motorcycles from several significant collectors in Tasmania, including some of the racing cars from the original Longford motorsport days.”
Tickets for the cancelled Longford Grand Prix Expo will be valid for entry into the new event.
The Longford Grand Prix Expo was supported by $450,000 in state government funding through Events Tasmania before it was called off.
After pulling down the event website, DX Industries, which was organising the expo, appears to have taken its company website offline too.
