SEEING RED
COMMUNITY OUTRAGED OVER MOTORSPORT BAN
TOWNSVILLE’S motorsport community has been left devastated with motorcycle and car racing now illegal at their home track.
A Planning and Environment Court of Queensland decision found using the Townsville Karting Club for anything other than go- karting was against the original development application. When the story was revealed, the Townsville Bulletin was inundated with messages from people disappointed with the decision.
Marque Sports Car Register North Queensland president Michael Seymour was left “stunned” by the court ruling. “The biggest issue is there is now no motorsport facility in Townsville ... we have the Mount Stuart hill climb four times a year, but there’s no regular monthly event,” he said.
The decision has boosted calls for State Gov- ernment funding for a dedicated driver education and motorsport facility in Townsville.
Townsville driver Ben Littlefield said everyone was aware of DriveIt NQ’s plans and this showed the need for a commitment on it.
OUTRAGED motorsport enthusiasts say a court ruling to stop the only Townsville track from holding car events is a major “kick in the guts” for racing fans and the economy.
The Bulletin has been inundated with complaints from drivers, spectators and small business owners who said they now face an uncertain future as there are no other track options in North Queensland.
The Planning and Environment Court of Queensland last month found racing cars and motorcycles on the track at the Townsville Karting Club on Shaw Rd, Bohle was unlawful.
Parkside Development had sought the ruling after the developer and residents complained to the Townsville City Council about the noise.
Judge Stuart Durward found the use of land for activities other than go- karting was outside the 1994 development approval given to the club.
Townsville driver Ben Littlefield said he had been racing at the Karting Club for the past decade and called the ruling a “kick in guts” for the local motorsport community.
“Without the track here many people such as myself will have to go down south at fairly substantial cost to travel and race there,” he said.
“The sport has been lobbying for a track of our own for a really long time ... everyone’s aware of the proposal from DriveIt NQ to have a purposebuilt facility and I think this ruling shows how urgently we need a commitment on that.”
Mr Littlefield said local mechanics and other businesses would lose income.
“Recently I went to Noosa for the hill climb and had a mechanical issues so I had to get mechanics to work on it there,” he said.
“Whereas if you had some more events on the doorstep here, all those dollars would be going into the local economy.”
Marque Sports Car Register North Queensland president Michael Seymour said he was “stunned” by the court ruling.
“The biggest issue is there is now no motorsport facility in Townsville ... we have the Mount Stuart hill climb four times a year, but there’s no regular monthly event,” he said.
Mr Seymour said that he did not believe the club had exceeded noise restrictions despite reports of complaints as sound levels were regularly checked by the Townsville City Council.
“It’s just extremely disappointing, we were running a series that was successful, we were keeping that element of driving off the streets, but I don’t know where we go from here,” he said.
Mr Seymour said the hopes of club members now rested on the proposed DriveIt NQ
motor precinct development.
“We’re a fairly fanatical bunch, we’re dedicated ... I think most of us would still be here if the new precinct got built,” he said.
Ross Johnson owns a panel and paint business on Ingham Rd and said he and other local operators would lose business following the ruling.
“It takes away from my business, we build and fix race cars so if they crash we repair but if they’re not racing there’s not going to be the work,” he said.
Mr Johnson said he had recently built a $ 30,000 car to promote the sport in Towns- ville and get support for a purpose- built local track.
“A lot of people expecting the new track to come online have been building new cars and using the go- kart track to test them out,” he said.
Mr Johnson said the loss of regular race events would also impact his ability to pick up other car maintenance jobs.
“Every time I go down the track I get four of five jobs out of it, just chatting to people I pick up work ... I’m going to lose that business now,” he said.
“If everyone puts their hand up to speak out then maybe something will get done.”