The Southern District Motorsports Association’s (SDMA) biggest event for its annual calendar will return this weekend with the HeartKids Hillclimb to run on Sunday.
 
Held at the club’s headquarters in Canberra, the popular time trial style event’s purpose is to raise awareness of HeartKids, Australia’s sole charity focussed on Childhood Heart Disease.
 
A full field of 45 competitors will contest the event, where they will get up to five runs of the two-lap course in an attempt to post the fastest time of day.
 
While many competitors take part in the event for the challenge, the opportunity to give back to the community is the major drawcard for many who attend. 

Started by SDMA member Daniel Cummins in honour of his brother William, who tragically passed away from a congenital heart defect at just 12-years-old, the event also aims to raise funds for the charity in addition to raising awareness.

Click here for more information on HeartKids.
 
Since its inauguration in 2009, on what would have been William’s 21st birthday, more than $140,000 has been raised for the charity with thousands of dollars donated by the club every year.
 
One of the most notable aspects of the event is the amount of time designated to parade laps for attending children who have the illness, giving them a chance to get in the cars for a slow ride around the course.
 
Unfortunately, the club was unable to run the event in the past two years due to COVID-19, however the charity gave the green light for the event to go ahead this year and club president John Templeton was thrilled they could run it again.
 
“It’s one of the major events of our calendar and apart from being a fun day, it’s for an extremely good cause and I am just so pleased we can do it this year,” Templeton said.
 
"This is our social contribution every year. The club donates the use of the track and we provide the officials, while all entry fees go to HeartKids foundation.
 
“It’s extremely important for the club to be doing some form of community contribution as we are a community focused club and for us, the HeartKids Foundation is a worthwhile cause.
 
“The parade laps in between competition runs are really special because these kids get taken around the circuit at a slow speed and they have a great time.
 
“The kids love being there, the drivers love having the kids – it just makes for a really fun day and we are pleased to be able to do it, especially having not been able to do so in the past two years for obvious reasons.”
 
Click here for more information on the event.
 
The Southern District Motorsports Association’s HeartKids Hillclimb takes place at Fairbairn Park Hillclimb Circuit on Sunday 6 November.