WA round in 2002?

[hypo]

Does anyone know what is going to happen to the WA round of the championship in 2002?

I`ve heard that avesco will not go there unless the track and facilities are improved.I`m all for having the NZ race and other international races but not at the expence of our own races.

also
Has anyone heard whats happening with the supposed street race in perth.Have the Perth city council come to the party?if not, are any WA residents out there interested in starting a petition to send to them?

It would be a great shame to see the WA round of the championship go elsewhere.Two generations of my family have been going to Wanneroo since the late seventies and we want this to continue for the next 20 years

[Buckshot]

I heard the only reason that WA kept it's round this year was because SHELL are paying for it. They wanted to the round there to coincide with some Anniversary SHELL are having this year.

A round in WA next year looks highly unlikely.

[Ray Bell]

Let's be rational here, please!

The WASCC invest more money each year in their circuit to please these money-grabbers. They borrow heavily against the next year's round'd return to do it, so are in debt for the year following each round to pay for these demands.

For them to lose their round would be a disaster. As it would for Eastern Creek, for Symmons, for Sandown, for Winton. As it was for Lakeside. Mallala was different, set up on a more sound financial footing and in a time and place where they were needed as CAMS tried to put Bob Jane out of business.

For them to lose their round to a street race would be a double disaster, for they would be losing what they've already invested and seeing people not turn up at their regular meetings any more because of how much they had to spend to get into the streets of their own city.

Now way should this happen again! No way should governments put up money for one-offs that leave no legacy of benefit for regular racing!

No petitions, please... talk to Gordon Mitchell if you need to understand more...

[Crash Test]

From what I can gather, the sanctioning fee for the Barbagallo round is in fact higher than the QLD 500...

But what really gets me annoyed is that they demand for all these different things like pit lane modifications, specatator facilities, corporate facilities etc, that cost millions to the track, yet as soon as they are completed, AVESCO say "Stuff you, we're going to a street circuit."

How much money did Winton a few years ago to upgrade to AVESCO standards, and how long will they have a race in the future?

[Ray Bell]

Oh, poor Winton and 'AVESCO standards'!

What did Winton have that detracted from it as a circuit, both from a driver's point of view and a spectator's?

Tight corners... and more tight corners... just one decent corner in the place (though the esses aren't all that bad...)..

So what do they do when the get a chance to add more circuit, remembering that they really had a fairly clean sheet of paper for the additions?

Right! Added three more tight corners!

Yes, the main point is that AVESCO is raping the circuit owners, then leaving them to bleed if they see a better opportunity...

Getting money from the NT Government led them down the path of chasing more and more Government involvement, to that crazy circuit in Canberra (it could have and should have been so much better!) and if the Governments falter on the issue, then we'll see them wanting to go back and rape circuits that may or may not still be there for their financial pleasure.

How many years of Government money spent setting up in Canberra, for instance, could have built a permanent circuit on the banks of the Molonglo River between Scrivener Dam and the Tuggeranong Parkway?

That could have been used year round for driver training and examining, other motor racing events, all manner of things...

[Crash Test]

There was a piece in AA this week about the Newcastle MGCC building a circuit, with the intention to run it like Wakefield Park was run prior to the current management; for club and historic racing.

I really wish someone would do that locally....maybe when Darlington Park get their hill climb running, the MGCC might turn Mt Cotton into a circuit....(BWAHAHAHA, sorry).

[Ray Bell]

Newcastle Motor Racing Club have had an option on some land for twenty years, I was told that they were buying it and had funds in place to build a circuit... Is this the one?

Darlington Park's a real dream...

[Crash Test]

It's called the Ringwood Motor Racing Complex, on land owned by the MGCC Newcastle. It will also have a drag strip, but seperated from the racing circuit. It's supposed to be 2.6km, and the land is opposite the Ringwood Airstrip, which was an up and back race track a couple of times in the 50's.

Darlingotn- Having been there not too long ago, it will probably be the best track in Australia when it's going. All it needs is walls and facilities....at least I hope that they start using their hill climb shortly- it is fantastic.

[Ray Bell]

Yes, at Ringwood... opposite the airfield that was used from 1954 to 1957, then saw a lot of go-kart activity.

I thought it was the NMRC, however. John Kierath has been behind it from the beginning, he showed me round the place in the early eighties some time, when they first built their hillclimb. Maybe it's become a joint venture with the MG CC of Newcastle, who run the Mattara Hillclimb and used to run the races at both Ringwood and Tomago airstrips.

I anxiously await developments there, but there's another point I'd like to raise.

The comment about 'Wakefield Park... prior to the current management."

I don't think the present regime is looking at the basic utilisation of the property any differently to Samuels and Carter. They have more money, perhaps, and plan expansions, but the basic 'club racing' tenet is still there.

[Crash Test]

But I'm not sure that the old owners were ever planning on having V8 Supercar races there like the currents ones do..

[hypo]

OK, point taken Ray, the permenent circuts are suffering because of all these street races happening.

But ,i have been going to wanneroo for years (and not just to the ATTC meetings,i`ve been to plenty of club meeting as well) the facilities have pretty much not changed in that time----Toilets,food and `seating` are pretty shocking compared to other tracks in Australia,and i can`t see this changing very much in the future (V8 round or not) and this is one of the reasons that they are losing their round.

also try to look at this from a WA residents point of view---3 rounds in NSW,4 in Victoria and one each for the rest of the states.(except Tasmania of course).and soon to be nothing for WA as well.

Our choice seems to be a street race or nothing,and i know what all the V8 fans in the West would rather see.

Remember when Hidden Valley was opened and Tony was going on about how it was now a truly national series , the next thing we knew Tasi was losing their round and WA seems to be losing their round too.

A truly national series----I THINK NOT

[DAVID PATERSON]

Samuels & Carter were adamant from the outset that they would NOT pursue national championship racing. They believed that what it would take to do so would be counterproductive to their dream of making the best possible facility for historic/club racing.

[hypo]

I`m talking about Tony Cochran and V8 Supercars not historic/club racing or the new Ringwood track
sorry if this wasn`t clear

[Crash Test]

Sorry, sort of wandered off topic there