Postponed Joondalup Festival of Motoring has a new date

After being forced to postpone late last year due to a bushfire emergency, event organisers have announced the Joondalup Festival of Motoring will return on May 4-5 with a revised line-up of attractions in (hopefully) far milder weather.

The new dates were announced overnight by event director Justin Hunt, who said his crew had been inundated with support for the decision to cancel the original event less than 48 before its launch due to an impending bushfire emergency that saw 18 homes lost and more than 1900 hectares of land scorched.

“Even though we knew postponing the event was the right thing to do on a number of fronts, we weren’t prepared for the outpouring of support for our decision from both stakeholders and the wider community,” he said.

“We’re now looking forward to the rescheduled date and putting on an exhilarating program of motoring-themed activities and experiences.”

At this stage it seems the original line-up of attractions, displays and events – culminating in the City Sprint – will all return largely unchanged, along with a new JFOM Trash or Treasure Car Jumble in which festival goers can stroll through a treasure trove of automotive goodies and snag a bargain that catches their eye.

All prior entries to the Tyrepower Joondalup Sprint are still valid at the time of writing, while those who couldn’t make the original event date will have another shot at entering when entries reopen “soon”.

“It was the right call by the event organisers to postpone the event in November out of respect for those affected by that terrible fire,” Joondalup mayor Albert Jacob said.

“I encourage people get out in big numbers over the first weekend of May to experience this two-day celebration of all things fast and furious.

“If ever an event deserved the support of our community, it’s the Tyrepower Joondalup Festival of Motoring.”

Last year’s postponed event was set to be headlined by a host of special metal including a 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300 Cabrio, 1982 Lamborghini Jalpa, 1958 Porsche 356 Cabrio, 1978 TVR Taimar, 1979 Lancia 037 replica, 2019 Alfa Romeo 4C, 2001 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 V-Spec II, 2023 Porsche Taycan, 1960 Vauxhall PA Velox and a 2023 Lotus Emira plus other classics and exotica, many of which are set to return this year.

The City Sprint meantime will be raced over a freshly-minted 2023 parkour course that’s said to be more flowing, undulating and spectator-friendly than the original circuit.

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