On 28-29 August 1982, a young Jeff Leisk upset the big guns to break through and win the premier 500cc class at the Australian Championships in Toowoomba, Queensland. 

Switching from Honda to the Yamaha Dealer team that year, Leisk won the title ahead of Robert Bailey (NSW, Suzuki) and Anthony Gunter (NSW, Kawasaki).

Stephen Gall (NSW, Yamaha) showed his amazing fitness levels to clinch the 250cc title winning both legs ahead of Darryl Willoughby (SA, Yamaha) and Vaughan Style (NSW, Honda).  

It was Gall’s first ride in two months after being sidelined with a broken wrist, which would have been given a fair workout on the hilly and winding Echo Valley circuit.

He was so sore after the 250cc races that he decided not to contest the other classes and to rest for the next round of the Mr Motocross series.

Victorian riders Ray Vandenberg broke through to win the National 125cc title on a Suzuki as did Russell Bergmeier-Lester Trewin (Weslake Wasp) in the Unlimited Sidecars.  

Vandenberg finished ahead of Peter Carney (NSW, Suzuki) and Craig Hyde (QLD, Suzuki) in second and third places, respectively.

 South Australian sidecar ace Barry Buckley clinched his eighth National title with David Ahola in the chair in the 500cc class.

Queensland enduro champion and Suzuki dealer Geoff Udy built a sidecar for the event and finished second in this class with Vaughn Fletcher in the chair.  

And another other local Queensland team Bill Holme-David Kempe finished third on their Honda.

There was another great story that came out of this event in the Unlimited sidecars.  

Local solo rider David Runderman swung for the first time with South Australian Jeff Lucas and the pair were the runner-up champions on Jeff’s Suzuki Wasp.

The Standage brothers, Mark and Craig, from Queensland finished third on their Norton Wasp.