Port Mac Goss: Paul Kucera

SINCE 1980, Beechwood has held an annual event known as the Beechwood Billycart Classic.

The 44th iteration of this much-loved local tradition will be held this Sunday, 26 October.

The event centres around a billycart race, where daring racers take on a five kilometre downhill run from Mt Pappinbarra to the Beechwood Hotel.

It is certainly a sight to see, with billy carts reaching speeds well over 100km per hour.

The event also features kids races, market stalls, food vans and live music.

For Port Mac Goss this week, “Scoop” Lazarus caught up with local Wauchope resident and eight-time Billycart Classic winner Paul Kucera.

Paul, tell us about the speeds these carts can reach.

The pro carts you will see will reach up to 110 km/h plus. Myself, I did 147.6 km/h one day, with the next competitor recording a speed of 133km/h. The carts do go very quick.

In 13 years you have won the event eight times and have now retired. You must be very proud of that record.

Absolutely. Every year was a different challenge, with different competitors, which was great and I loved the vibe. While everyone was very competitive, everyone was so happy and it is a really great day meeting and mingling with fellow competitors. Currently I hold the record, but could come out of retirement if someone is good enough to beat it.

Your billy cart looks like a space ship. Tell our readers how you make it go so fast.

My mate and I built the billy cart in 12 days. We tricked it up every year, learning things all the time. I don’t want to give too much away, but what I can say is that the wheels are custom made. The wheels that my cart has are triple strain rims; they are twice as thick as normal rims and have titanium spokes as well as ceramic bearings. It is all about trial and error and always trying your best.

Going those speeds I imagine the race requires lots of skill and a bit of luck. Have you ever had a mishap on the course?

Only last year. I tried to beat my own record and unfortunately ran out of the black stuff, tar, and ended up going off the side of the road at about 135km/h. The cart somersaulted which was very exciting at the time. However, we still managed to finish the course.

This billy cart race is unique to Beechwood. Tell us why everyone should get to this event on Sunday.

You need to be out there in order to appreciate the effort that these guys put into this and to witness the actual speeds that these billy carts can get up to. Pick a spot on the side of the road, make sure that your car is off the road and happy viewing! It really is a sensational family day and everyone who attends will enjoy themselves immensely.

By Dave ‘Scoop’ LAZARUS