Strip secures cash for dash
Recently-saved raceway transformed by £180,000 in donations
York-based drag racing venue Melbourne Raceway has blasted back into action after a massive fundraising effort saved it from extinction – and the team behind it have just agreed a fresh 10-year lease on the site.
Set up in the late 1970s, the track was resurrected by UK drag racing club Straightliners after it shut up shop in 2017. Straightliners raised enough cash to transform the site, as well as install a fresh tarmac strip to the right of the old sprint surface. “Straightliners is 23 years old and we’ve never had a permanent home, but we have now,” club founder, Trevor Duckworth, told MCN. “We’ve got a completely new tarmac surface. It’s superb and everybody has sung its praises.”
The club put out a plea for support in August 2019 and have since received an estimated £180,000 from well-wishers – both in donations, as well as discounts on materials and people volunteering their time and services. The largest of these cash donations from an individual was a generous £20,000.
“Without the support of all these people then Melbourne just couldn’t have happened,” Trevor continued. “It’s unbelievable. I’ve been in this sport for 50 years and it’s very, very humbling.” One of only two permanent drag racing venues in the UK, Straightliners have now signed a fresh lease at the site and have already run their first Covid-friendly meetings for 2020. Although currently only able to run eighth-of-a-mile races, the organisers plan to extend the tarmac braking zone to run quarter-mile competitions, too – requiring a further £30,000 investment.
Trevor continued: “All we have to do is raise a bit more money. We’ve got lots to do, but we’ll get there.”
To help support the cause, head to: www.straightliners.events
‘We’ve never had a permanent home before’ TREVOR DUCKWORTH, FOUNDER