New Motorsport Park for S.A?

[SLY347]

AN UNDISCLOSED consortium of wealthy Adelaide investors is ready to build a $25 million-plus motorsport complex in Adelaide.

Featuring a drag racing strip, speedway, race circuit and jet boat racing, the complex is expected to be up and running in about 15 months.

Spokeswoman for the consortium, Anna Micheel, said the three mystery investors were working with the Land Management Corporation to secure a site in the north or north-western suburbs within the next three months.

About 120ha would be needed.

"We're hoping to have the first stage up and running within 12 months (after that)," she said.

A former manager of Adelaide International Raceway at Virginia, Ms Micheel would not name the investors but described them as "leading business people within Adelaide who are very passionate motorsport enthusiasts and definitely have the money".

Ms Micheel said the privately-funded hub would include a "business park" for supporting industries and could also provide "a service to the community" as a training ground for emergency service vehicles, driving schools and a concert venue.

"There is no other venue (in Australia) that can house the number of motorsport events that they wish to house," she said.

"It's something that Adelaide desperately needs."

Australian National Drag Racing Association chief executive officer Tony Thornton said Perth, Sydney and Ispwich had top drag racing venues and a new complex would be built in Melbourne by late next year but Adelaide was missing out.

A drag strip in Adelaide would "link up the national chain", he said. Mr Thornton hoped the venue also would improve road safety by holding regular amateur competitions.

"There are lots of young people doing increasingly stupid things on the road and having access to a drag strip to have a go almost whenever they want isn't going to eradicate it (hoon driving) but it provides a safer option," he said.

Since the opening of the Western Sydney International Dragway NSW police said illegal street racing "has been non-existent" in the area.

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/stor ... 01,00.html

[serial_fool]

Finally time for you Adelaide boys to do some legal dragging.

[EFFalcon]

Good ol' Adelaide.

[Jim Beam]

Northern Suburbs ftw.

Up around Gawler would be a good place to have it.

[FNL01]

But if it was to be at Gawler you are only a few minutes from A.I.R. and about 3/4 hour from Mallala. closer to suburbia would be better IMHO.

[Jim Beam]

But if it was to be at Gawler you are only a few minutes from A.I.R. and about 3/4 hour from Mallala. closer to suburbia would be better IMHO.

AIR hasn't been open ages.

Trust me, having it near lizbeff and Salisbury would be the best to reduce hoons, especially if they have it open to the public 2 days/nights a week.

[SLY347]

AIR HAS been open, just not for drags. They have had Stadium Drift/GazzaNats/Powerfest and the odd drift prac day. But no drags.
Apparently there are a few spots being looked at, one was Garden Island

[[Sterling]]

as soon as its finished im +1ing for a vic 2 SA cruise to the track! stay the weekend! for some track fun with adelaide boys!

[limited]

alright guys the new track is proposed for Gillman near the spped boat club.supposedly the land has been offered by Pt.adelaide council

[stalker]

i really cant see this happening, Adelaide government has a way of killing great idea's like this, dont get me wrong i would love to see it happen. but its just not that likely

[limited]

BOb jane has to let AIR go, the wanker has killed amateur motorsport in SA, unless u like gook cars and drifting

[stuiesEB]

well if bob janes brother gets it itll be turned into apartments AIR that is im all 4 a new race park if it happens that is

[limited]

bunch of cocksmokers

[EB_GLI92]

we all know why bob janes keeping AIR hes knows that adelaide is spreading out and that land is only going to go up and up in value

a new drag strip is just what we need. Good call about having it in the northern suburbs have u seen the hoon activity in Salisbury lol

[ea_falcon]

salisbury = holden commodore with stokies on the back and a skin head driving with a gotie lol

[EB_GLI92]

seen lots of them lol

[SLY347]

A sourceas said that A.I.R may be getting some love at the moment

[stevo]

Who cares , SA is poo

[SLY347]

boohiss to you

[AaronEF8]

That's ok, stevo can keep thinking that, it keeps Victorians away from here

Do you know what's happening at the track? I'm guessing it's re-surfacing to the circuit section after the strip, Fat Lying Scumbag Fuckhead aka Bob Jane still manages the track, so drag racing isn't on his agenda.

It's funny, I tried googling for some info, there's pages going back to 03 saying 'AIR is getting work', 'Jane in talks with ANDRA', 'Street drags to return to AIR VERY soon'. - NO info on what's happening to the actual track.

About a month ago there was a display in Pt Adelaide to show the support of a new dragstrip. There were rails, funnycars, doorslammers and pro-stockers on display, 10,000 people were there over the day. Guess what media coverage it got? A 1/4 page in the Pt Adelaide Messenger....

I think a lot needs to change before we see legal drag racing again unfortunately. There's always the 'other' AIR, Anzac Int. Raceway..

[SLY347]

Circuit racing is booked in for July there, so by the looks of it a few people will be riding on it being ready in time.
Got told by a good mate today, that he saw them digging up and relaying the surface. He gives me pretty much daily updates of what he has/is seen/seeing

[AaronEF8]

I sent the AMC (managers of AIR and Calder) an e-mail the other day, and got this.

Message: Hi guys, just wanted to know, are the motorsport enthusiasts of
South Australia ever going to be able to race on Adelaide International
Raceway again? Or is drag racing still off the agenda since Bob Jane
couldn't get his own drag racing sanctioning body?

Reply

Hi Aaron
Happy to answer your enquiry, but don't be a smart arse

Adelaide International Raceway is currently being resurfaced, and we expect
it to be completed by the middle of this week

We are working on a events schedule for the period June thru December when
finalize it will be posted on http://www.amcclub.com.au website.

Kind regards,
Bryan J Nokes
Chief Executive Officer

Fair call on the smartarse thing, no AIR annoys me. I find it amusing less than 2 months after someone announces the possibility of a new drag strip (The former AIR manager too, no less) that AIR gets re-surfaced and its facilities upgraded. Not complaining of course, AIR used to be the fastest track in the world back in the day.

There's pics on dragster.net of the re-surfacing, and the good news is they've put holes in the hotmix for a christmas tree/timing beams etc

I still want 2 1/4 mile dragstrips in SA though...

[Steady]

Interesting reply from the CEO, straight out calls you a smartarse

[stevo]

Yeah, i laughed when i read that. Good call
How far away from air are you aaron?

[AaronEF8]

About an hour at this stage, but when the new expressway is finished it'll be just under 40 mins or so.

And yeah I wasn't fussed about the comment, at least he has some facts on hand, and didn't sugarcoat it.

[stevo]

id love to be 40mins to a drag stip :S

[Jim Beam]

Awesome news about AIR.

Should be good when it reopens, I'm about 15-20 minutes away from it.

[EB_GLI92]

yeah sounds all good cant wait to hit it.

its only 15mins away form me 2 gotta love that

[EB_GLI92]

Drove passed today looked like there was a fair amount of work going on. got my racing juices flowing

[EFFalcon]

how busy was AIR on an average night?
get a few runs in?

[SLY347]

Drove passed today looked like there was a fair amount of work going on. got my racing juices flowing

Whole track is being resurfaced, along with the 1/4 mile . I has spy pics.

[AaronEF8]

Its hard to say John, there hasn't been a street meet since early 2003. The last 4, 6 and Rotary wednesday night weekly meets were opened up to street V8's as well due to lack of interest, though there was still 30+ competitors each time. I remember people getting a good 10-15 runs in over most nights. Last ANDRA meet in 2005 drew 25,000 spectators, so I'm guessing the first few nights will be packed with entrants.

You can get back to the staging area pretty quick, the return road is the rest of the circuit and the speedway bowl

Walkinshaw has heard a rumour that one of the machines used to smoothen the surface has sunk into the drag strip, which will cause months of delay, though he has said it was just a rumour and we're still waiting on info.

[AaronEF8]

Interesting.... (but not good)

The same rumour is popping up on quite a few different forums, and the 'V8 Drive' days have been shifted from AIR back to Mallala.

FFS, this better not be true.

[AaronEF8]

It's been confirmed, however it happened on the north-western part of the circuit, so it *shouldnt* effect drag racing. The rain has been causing problems too.

There's all sorts of other shit flying around though, Super Street/Pro Street competitors urging everyone to boycott AIR because it isn't ANDRA approved, and even going as far as saying they will block the entrance to the track to stop street meet competitors getting in. Pretty fucking immature comments really.

[Jim Beam]

It's been confirmed, however it happened on the north-western part of the circuit, so it *shouldnt* effect drag racing. The rain has been causing problems too.

There's all sorts of other shit flying around though, Super Street/Pro Street competitors urging everyone to boycott AIR because it isn't ANDRA approved, and even going as far as saying they will block the entrance to the track to stop street meet competitors getting in. Pretty fucking immature comments really.

Seems like a shitter with a bullbar would be a good investment if this is true.