A general view of the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit. Image: Moy/XPB Images
Mr Littleproud, whose electorate contains the small township of Leyburn, has contacted the CEO of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation in an effort to have its motorsport history recognised on a global scale.
The town notably hosts the annual Historic Leyburn Sprints, which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary.
This year also marks the 77th anniversary of the 1949 Australian Grand Prix held in the area, which will be celebrated across the weekend, with three original cars from the race competing in the Sprints.
“Melbourne is rightly regarded as the sporting capital of Australia, and Albert Park stands as one of the finest circuits on the Formula 1 calendar,” Mr Littleproud said.
“But this history isn’t just Melbourne’s story, it belongs to towns like Leyburn too.
“Naming one of the circuit’s unnamed corners ‘Leyburn’ would be a low-cost, fitting gesture that recognises where it all started.
“I want to thank Tricia [Chant] and the whole Historic Leyburn Sprints committee for the work they do to keep this piece of our history front and centre.
“I’ll keep advocating to make sure Leyburn’s place in Grand Prix history gets the recognition it deserves.”
Sprints president Tricia Chant welcomed Mr Littleproud’s advocacy.
“Leyburn is a tiny rural community with a big history, highlighted by the 1949 Australian Grand Prix,” president Chant said.
“We’ll see three surviving cars from 1949 and several later Grand Prix drivers visit the race site during our 30th anniversary celebrations on 15-16 August.
“Leyburn has a direct link to Melbourne’s modern-day Formula 1 grand prix, and it would be wonderful to see this enshrined with a dedicated corner at Albert Park, thanks to this proposal by Mr Littleproud.”
The 30th anniversary of the Historic Leyburn Sprints will be held on August 15-16, where over 240 cars have entered the event.
As a platinum partner of the Sprints, Speedcafe will also present the official live stream of the event.