Darlington Park Raceway - Closed Permanently

[floody]

Damn, madhatr, I forgot how bad "big" motorsport was. I'm content with the rather more relaxed mode of life at local races here in Hobart...
Drive for 20 minutes to the track, 10 minutes of really fun road in that, pay $10 each or thereabouts to get in, easily find a park (often somewhere you could view 90% of the circuit from the car), then watch a wide variety of cars battling it out. Go for some food, get some reasonably priced fatty crap, then wander over the footbridge to the pits for a wander around, perhaps they will do the massive affront of a $2 donation for pit entry this time, damn them...
Get in the car, negotiate the terrain back onto the road, drive some nice twisties then cruise through the C.B.D bypassing road back home.

The toilets aren't real flash at Baskerville though, only real downside...

[barM3]

The Stephens want to rip up the track and develop the land. There's something like 60 mil worth of rock to be mined from the hill that sits behind the track. They also want to subdivide the land and sell lots as industrial sites.

Tony Snr would have kept the track open. Tony Jnr is a bit weird.

The thing with the council is that they REALLY don't want the track there. The irony is that it's been approved to be mined, so I hope the council supplies ear muffs for the surrounding residents, coz it's not like a few cars aren't louder than a bunch of heavy machinery.

Money wise, it's not worth the ask. However Tony Jnr is not only weird but lazy too. The only reason he'll allow more track days to run is when he wants to buy some more toys, otherwise he restricts access and keeps it to himself.

It's so under-marketed though. The place has so much potential. I could personally fill that place 7 days a week with sprints, skid pan sessions, driver training (bikes too), parties, dances, music events (council permitting of course, which prolly wouldn't happen), etc etc. which would make lots of money for the place. It costs 1 mil annually to maintain the track and grounds.

I have 5 bucks, so if you guys chip in the rest then she'll be apples.

[rowdytoot]

methinks madhatr's issue is he got suckered by the supertaxi hype instead of going to club/state level track stuff where you can get a park, wander around willy nilly & get food etc etc, and see they guys who pay their own bills racin'!

fro and I had a great day at OP a while back- IPRA, sports 1300,marque sports, all kinds of action...

tis always a shame to see a track close- esp a club level place- it'll be a sad day when OP closes- but at least I'll know I've had a drive on it before it does

Rowds

[Q]

....The Stephens want to rip up the track and develop the land. There's something like 60 mil worth of rock to be mined from the hill that sits behind the track. They also want to subdivide the land and sell lots as industrial sites....

BINGO !

Sit up and pay attention peoples, barM3 is on the money here.....

[Madhatr]

methinks madhatr's issue is he got suckered by the supertaxi hype instead of going to club/state level track stuff where you can get a park, wander around willy nilly & get food etc etc, and see they guys who pay their own bills racin'!

fro and I had a great day at OP a while back- IPRA, sports 1300,marque sports, all kinds of action...

tis always a shame to see a track close- esp a club level place- it'll be a sad day when OP closes- but at least I'll know I've had a drive on it before it does

Rowds

Ohh no, i had the (dis?)pleasure of driving around QR in the previous E21 when they didnt divide up the circuit. Been around morgan park in a formula vee quite a few times, i actually remember racing on it when it was dirt

The shame occured many years ago when surfers paradise closed, nothing much has been doing at darlington in awhile, last time the bike club went through there would have been in 2000 or 2001. Ron clark should hang for all his promises though, total crap as usual, cant expect anything less from a politician. It looks like he is going to get a serving of karma though, dont be surprised if the entire city council is sacked and an administrator is appointed real soon

[dazza]

Madhatr there's been track days at darlington for bikes once a month I believe all year

[deal]

The Stephens want to rip up the track and develop the land. There's something like 60 mil worth of rock to be mined from the hill that sits behind the track. They also want to subdivide the land and sell lots as industrial sites.

Well if it doesn't re-open as a race track i hope this does happen. ie. They mine the area then sell it of as an Industrial estate.

Then the locals can have something to really whinge about. Trucks and machinery 12 hours+ a day, 7 days a week.

Most quarry operators have lots of $$$$ to tie up the courts with febble noise complaints.

[Cal]

Madhatr there's been track days at darlington for bikes once a month I believe all year

Total Driver have been running driver training and track days there every 2 weeks for cars.

Cal.

[edo]

You could have run driver/rider training days there every day of the year & you wouldnt get anything like a sensible return on the capital value of the place...even if you got $5k a day nett (which you wouldnt) you wouldnt be getting 1/3 of the return needed to justify having that much money tied up in it.

As soon as the land is worth anything at all using it for a race track just isnt viable. It sucks, but its all about the $.

[Cal]

Didn't matter for shit to Tony senior. He didn't need the cash.....he needed a race track to drive his Formula Holdens on.

Cal.

[itsnotagsr]

^^ :D

You forgot the part where you are made feel guilty for three days about why you dragged her to 'your' thing....

And the two hour trip home with dust in your eyes....

Muz

Or the six months of pain afterwards when you have to go out to dinner/drinks with her friends to make up for it

[Norbie]

So on the one hand we have this big crackdown on illegal street racing, and on the other hand legitimate motorsport venues are either closing down or too expensive/remote for your average hobbyist to visit regularly. What exactly are the Qld govt trying to acheive?

[edo]

Cal, Yes, we need eccentric people with far too much money.

Norbie, you didnt read the thread. They sold it. For money. The Govt has nothing to do with it except collecting a huge stamp duty payment.

[Norbie]

Are you telling me the constant pressure by the council/govt had nothing to do with their decision?

[coyote]

Are you telling me the constant pressure by the council/govt had nothing to do with their decision?

Correct, they would have put up with that if the money was in it.

It never was and never would be.