From Horses to Horsepower: Exploring the World of Local Motorsport and Horse Racing

As I sit here on this first Tuesday of November (writing this column), I watch 24 horses race around Flemington to win the prestigious Melbourne Cup. That’s an entirely different shift from watching 26 Supercars race around Bathurst just a month earlier. These horses are finely tuned animals that have been bred and trained in such a way that they are the most competitive in their sport. Like your motor car, each has its own breed/brand and has been finely tuned/trained to be the best in its field. Like a Supercar, the horses in the Melbourne Cup are the best in their field. Every horse has a trainer, like every Supercar has an engineer; every horse has a jockey, like every Supercar has a professional driver.

So why the comparison? Tuning and developing race-bred machines is a fine art; if it were that easy or affordable, everyone would do it. You could go down to the local horse sale, buy any old horse, and enter it in the Melbourne Cup. Same with your car: walk into your local dealership, buy a new car, and enter it into the Bathurst 1000. In reality, this is not possible for any of these events, however you can do the above and join local clubs and start competing and learning your grassroots craft of either horse riding or racing a motor vehicle.

While I am not involved in competing with horses, I do understand the world of motorsport. And I can tell you that locally, we have clubs that can quench your thirst for speed and finely tune your hand in racing around tracks against others. These clubs are open to everyone, regardless of your skill level or experience. Central Queensland has and is not limited to, Go Kart Clubs, Speedway, Moto X Clubs, Motor Sporting Clubs that include dirt and bitumen events like Khanacross, Rally and Driftkana, Drag Racing clubs, and general Motoring Car Clubs. So if you’re interested in motorsport, there’s a club for you.

Volunteers run all these clubs and are always looking for new and enthusiastic people to join. Like most volunteer organisations, every single person brings a unique skill set to the table. You may be sitting there thinking to yourself that your skill set is in accounting, and what could you do in a club? Treasurers and Presidents of clubs would love your input into budgeting and spending; they may need help with their books to keep them balanced, etc. Or you may be a groundsman at a school or local park for the council. Clubs also have venues that need upkeep, so those skills are definitely required.

If you are interested in motorsport or any competition involving horses, a quick web search for your local club will direct you to your relevant interest. Or, if you would like to give back by volunteering at events, joining a club of your choice is a great way to get involved.