A MINIATURE heritage caravan, a pig, a cow, a cot, a coffin, several trucks and stainless steel wagons flashed down a 400 metre track to glory at the Gresford billycart derby.
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The annual event has grown over the past 15 years to a become a tourist drawcard for Gresford, with more than 3000 spectators and a record 120 competitors this year.
‘It’s been a fantastic day,’’ one of the organisers, Jane Richens, said.
‘‘We’ve had people from all over the Hunter, and as far away as Woolongong and even someone from Brisbane this year.’’
‘‘People get really excited that it’s billy carts and that they’re not motorised. They remember going down hills themselves as kids.
‘‘It’s the sort of thing where anyone can have a go.’’
Contestants must race in safety gear, and their carts need to meet the official specifications.
Laurence Thorssell, another of the organisers, said some carts were probably quickly put together in a day or two, while others might take weeks or months to build.
After a series of heats, the event came down to a race between Nigel Foote and Brett Douglas. With only a tenth of a second between them, Foote took the race at 21.8 seconds.
Mr Foote's son, Aidan, was the junior champion.