VALE GEOFF LEEDS 1946-2023

We are saddened to hear that Geoff Leeds passed away in Brisbane yesterday morning after a short battle with cancer.

 

Leeds spent a lifetime in motorsport, from driver to administrator, he was always somewhere around the paddock offering advice, support and the odd dose of retribution to a diverse group.

 

His final role in racing was with TA2 Muscle Car Series as the Driving Standards and Prosecuting Officer.

 

It was at the Winton finale of the 2022 TA2 Muscle Car Series that I finally had the chance to sit down and listen to the odd yarn or three that Geoff was happy to share.

 

Raised in Bathurst at the historic Tattersalls Hotel, Mount Panorama was just a stone’s throw away and the young Leeds caught the racing bug at an early age.

 

He later admitted to an interpretive presentation of his mother’s signature to gain his first racing licence, which perhaps personifies the larrikinism that would light up an often chisel-faced persona.

 

He told me a story about the crash his 1977 Bathurst teammate Yoshimi Katayama had in the Craven Mild Mazda RX3.

 

“We’d swapped between cars across the weekend and had made some changes to the brakes on our car,” Leeds explained.

 

“Katayama’s english wasn’t that good and he didn’t quite get what we were telling him about the changes to the brakes.

 

“He came down Conrod, hit the brakes and basically rolled the car down to Murray’s Corner. I raced across the track to find him sitting near the crowd with his hands shaking. He looked pale and sat quietly, then said just one word as I approached; “Cigarette!”

 

“Geoff was very active in touring cars and raced for my Craven Mild Team a number of times in the late 70’s,” Allan Grice stated on the TA2 Muscle Car Series website.

 

“He raced with Yoshimi Katayama in a Mazda RX3 at Bathurst in 1977, Katayama was regarded as a demi-god in Japan and they were doing well until Yoshimi turned the Mazda into sushi spectacularly at the end of Conrod Straight. Geoff was very well respected by all in the sport, he just got on with the business of racing with no fuss. He never gave me any grief on track, and I returned the favour! Guys like Geoff are sadly missed from the sport. My condolences to his family.”

 

Terry Finnigan lived near my parent’s house and sometimes parked his Brabham F3 race car in the car port of our neighbour’s yard. I still remember climbing onto our rusty old tin shed for a closer look.

 

Finnigan and Geoff Leeds forged a great relationship and the pair shared Group C and A drives at Bathurst in Finnigan’s privateer Commodore. The partnership yielded an 8th outright result at the 1991 Bathurst 1000.

 

Leeds’ final competitive years were spent with the Aussie Racing Cars before venturing into the world of circuit management. Leeds held the position of Circuit/Motorsport Manager at Sydney’s Oran Park Raceway.

 

Having moved to Queensland in 2007, Leeds ventured into other areas of management before the lure of the TA2 Muscle Car Series proved too strong.

 

With his wealth of knowledge and experience as both a driver, administrator and Driving Standards Officer, Leeds was a perfect fit for the Driving Standards/ Prosecuting Officer with the rapidly expanding TA2 Muscle Car Series TA2 owner Peter Robinson wrote these words ;“Gentleman Geoff Leeds will be truly missed by everyone whose life he connected with, especially the TA2 family who he loved so much, Race Hard and Race Fair were the last words he’d say to all at the track briefings, I will never forget those words. RIP Geoff and condolences to Sandra and the family.”

 

Velocity Motorsport Magazine extends their thoughts, prayers and best wishes to the Leeds’ family.