Formula 500 Drivers Reunite In Burdekin After 38 Years

Drivers attending the Burdekin Speed Car Club Formula 500 Reunion on Saturday, 27 June 2026 (left – right) Standing: Dave Muir, Sam Nucifora, Bevan Scholz, Lenny Quagliata, Ross Moore, George Jarvis, Gary Parker, Brian Ritchie, Gavin Jaenke, Peter Palmer, Barry McCulloch, Peppi Prior, Rod Muir, Mark Tinus, Darren Walker, Mark Bragg, Ian Payne, Gordon Evans, Terence O’Brien, Dave Huckett, Alan Iverson, Tony Brunner, Mark Astorquia; Front: Gordon Papps, Ralph Escriva, Dino DalPastro, Ted O’Brien, Nev Walker, Carol Walker, Gary Bosel and John O’Brien.Photo supplied.

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They once roared around Pioneer Park Speedway as fierce Formula 500 rivals. Now, they’re just mates swapping stories and reliving the glory days.

Thirty-two drivers from across Australia reunited at the Queens Hotel for the Burdekin Speed Car Club’s first Formula 500 gathering in 38 years, celebrating a racing era that began in cane paddocks in the 1950s and peaked through the 1980s and 90s.

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Old Rivals, New Stories As Formula 500 Legends Roll Back The Years

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A weekend reunion brought Burdekin Speed Car Club Formula 500 drivers back together for the first formal gathering in 38 years, celebrating decades of local racing history and lifelong friendships forged on and off the track.

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Held as a special luncheon at the Queens Hotel, the event saw 32 drivers introduced to a crowd of about 60 by reunion organiser and MC Bev Bosel. Those unable to attend, along with drivers who have since passed away, were also acknowledged.

Formula 500 (or TQ) racing in the Burdekin dates back to the 1950s, when competition first began on makeshift tracks in cane paddocks, backyards and at the Home Hill Showgrounds.

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The sport later moved to its first “official” venue at Brandon Sports Reserve in the 1960s, before the opening of Pioneer Park Speedway in 1974 helped the category flourish through the 1980s and 90s.

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At its peak, the Burdekin Speed Car Club produced state and national champions and was regarded as a powerhouse of the sport.

Saturday’s reunion marked the first formal gathering since 1988, which commemorated the club’s 30th anniversary.

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A highlight of the luncheon was the cutting of the reunion cake by the club’s oldest member, 88-year-old Ralph Escriva. He was joined by the oldest co-competitor in attendance, Sam Nucifora Snr, as well as noted Burdekin female Formula 500 driver Carol Walker.

Drivers travelled from as far afield as Canberra, Caboolture, Cooloola Cove, Mackay, Bowen and Townsville, along with many regional tracks in between.

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Pioneer Park stalwart Gordon “Pappsy” Papps said he “wouldn’t have missed it for the world”.

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“We may have been rivals on the track but when it comes to off the track, we have made lifelong friends and it’s just so great to catch up back here in the Burdekin again.”

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In a fitting twist, Mr Papps also left with one of the day’s prizes, taking home a raffle win of a restored Formula 500 wing, specially sign-wrapped by Mike Coleman to mark the occasion.

Ms Bosel said extensive planning had gone into ensuring the reunion was a memorable occasion.

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“Everyone enjoyed the memorabilia display and a slideshow of 500-plus photos was rolling in the background with all the drivers of yesteryear,” he said.

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“It was a very special get-together and I’m sure those who were able to attend will fondly remember it always.”

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