All hands on deck at popular Midvaal Raceway in Meyerton

Regional Racing Correspondent

Back to basics.

That is where the Midvaal Raceway in Meyerton, south of Johannesburg, is going to ensure the venue’s continued survival as a host to local motorsport.

The circuit, that started to fray around the edges over the past year or so, is undergoing a makeover, with the bulk of the work being conducted by the inland racing community.

The “You can make a difference at Midvaal” campaign was initiated by the Historic Racing SA (HRSA) group. It officially got underway on June 23 and after a weekend of hard work, the results already look promising.

The campaign saw about R30 000 raised already, mainly funded by respective race category members. Notable contributors in terms of finances and efforts included the Inland Championship and BMW Car Club Gauteng.

The first weekend of work involved a thorough clean-up of the facility – most notably the ladies’ bathrooms and a fresh coat of paint on a number of buildings.

HRSA chairperson James Bennett said: “We’ve heard complaints about Midvaal venue’s facilities. Instead of jumping on this bandwagon, we decided to pledge our support in uplifting Midvaal Raceway to a level that we as competitors, the spectators will enjoy.

“The amount of support has already exceeded our expectations, with members contributing both financially and physically.”

This will be an ongoing project, Bennett said: “We would like to appeal to other racing disciplines to support us in these efforts. Many things still need to be done.

“Long-term goals include new ablution blocks and play facilities for kids. We have conducted some repairs to the track surface and there is much more we would like to do, but we do require substantial contributions to achieve this.”

For more details on how you can get involved, queries or suggestions, call Bennett on 082 409 2493 or email at historicracing.co.za, and visit the websitehistoricracing.co.za