New $250m centre pitch
THE push for a motorsport and entertainment complex at Wellcamp Airport was given a boost this week, with John Wagner confirming the Wagner Group would invest between $90 million and $100 million into the project.
Mr Wagner made the comments an a luncheon at the Brisbane Club, The CourierMail reported.
It was reported Mr Wagner had been in talks with the State and Federal Governments about the project, which all up would cost between $230 million and $250 million, and create 300 to 400 new jobs.
It’s been six years since plans for a V8 supercar track at Wellcamp were first raised.
In March of that year, V8 Supercars threw their support behind the push for a permanent circuit at Wellcamp and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Wagners.
In August 2014, Mr Wagner confirmed engineering and events firm iEDM began preliminary work on the site along with former V8 Supercars driver Mark Skaife.
“We’ve got good topography and Mark Skaife is saying that we could have a track to rival Bathurst,” John Wagner said at the time.
“Multi-use sports facility, driver training, and associated automotive business not dissimilar to what hangs off an airport.
“We will work to world’s best practice and getting the track geometry and design right with the potential to put lights in and that opens us up to a whole different market again.”
In 2017 it was confirmed a site near Wellcamp Airport had been earmarked for the 450-hectare development with a 4.35km track, but no funding agreements had been reached.
A spokesman for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk remained tight-lipped on any government involvement in the project.
“The Palaszczuk Government is always happy to discuss ideas to support Queensland’s economic recovery,” the spokesman said.
“It is important ideas are properly assessed to ensure they provide value-for-money for the Queensland taxpayer.”