A QUEENSLAND MP JUST SHOWED UP FOR GRASSROOTS MOTORSPORT AND THAT MATTERS

Every so often, something happens in this sport that deserves to be said out loud: a politician actually showing up, actually getting involved and actually backing grassroots motorsport instead of just posing for a photo and moving on.

That's exactly what happened at the Mount Morgan Gold Rush Street Parade and Hill Sprint, where Queensland MP for Rockhampton, Donna Kirkland, didn't just attend — she got in a car and did a VIP run up one of the longest hill sprints in the entire country. A 3km stretch, 26 corners, 160 metres of elevation change. She said she was "a little nauseous afterwards." Good. That means she actually did it, not just talked about it.

Here's our honest take: this is what real advocacy looks like. Not a media release. Not a handshake and a leave. An elected representative putting herself in the seat, feeling what the drivers feel, and coming out the other side with, in her own words — "an even greater appreciation for the skill and precision of the drivers."

That appreciation matters more than people realise. Grassroots motorsport survives on council support, sponsor backing, and community goodwill and all three of those get easier when the people with actual political influence understand, firsthand, what this sport demands. Kirkland didn't just attend the parade. She's actively advocating for Mount Morgan to host the Australian Hill Climb Championships in the future, with Motorsport Australia reportedly already watching the event with interest.

126 entrants from across the country are set to race this event. That's not a small local meet, that's a genuine national drawcard, built in Central Queensland and it deserves a spotlight far bigger than it usually gets.

We'll say what we think: more politicians should be doing exactly this. Fewer press conferences, more actually turning up. Fewer photo-ops, more genuinely engaging with the sport and the people who live and breathe it. If this is the standard other electorates start holding their MPs to, grassroots motorsport wins.

Well done to everyone who made this event happen the organisers, the volunteers, the sponsors and yes, the MPs who showed up and did more than wave from the sidelines.

Photo credit: Donna Kirkland MP (Facebook)

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