Don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but here in the US , if the government wants a piece of land and a track is on it, for the most part they'll pretty much just take it and tell the track owner/promoter to go pound sand and the track is permanently gone with nothing to replace it. We have lost some great tracks because of government, and greedy/shady developers over the years. One of those being Ascot park in Gardena CA.
@@peterbubb5811I never saw a race at the Syracuse mile. I've been to the track and walked around it several times. I know it was a storied place for Modifieds annual finale but it was much too long and fast. They tried running late models there but I understand that the speeds with horrific crash stopped that. The first time they ran late models on clay at Bristol it came down to attrition. Wheels broke, engines blew and chassis cracked. When they did it recently the cars had evolved to better handle it.
Brilliant insightful video Toby. It’s honestly hard to see this joint ever been viable for anybody to run, let alone the government fixing the mistakes made. I fear for the future of our sport and what it’s going to look like, but thankful you are at frontline fighting for us all Toby. Keep up the great work.
Too much government screws everybody! The only “fix”that will work is to vote out greedy politicians! Obviously, this track didn’t cost millions...where did the rest of the money go?
@@davidvanderklauwI didn't vote Liberal but personally I don't think it is just a a Liberal issue or even just government, we see these issues where the wrong person/s are put in charge without experience in the field. We all know someone like this, example: Cert 4 trainer and assessor with maybe a trade, then training something they have no skill or experience in, then our government wonders why standards go down. It was once a requirement to have trade experience before becoming an engineer in that field.
Not sure how i got recommended this video, as i'm more of a drift guy. But this was a well constructed video and im a motor head at heart. Got yourself a new subscriber!
Man, this sucks! Great video as always Toby. I found one detail very interesting in that you broke down the number of hours of operation per year. That's an important detail in any track operation that most people probably don't think about.
Wow, outstanding report. On top of all of numerous and preventable problems you outlined, the angle of the barriers going into the infield is a serious injury or fatal accident waiting to happen -- very possible that a driver could hit those concrete barriers head on at speed.
$100 Million dirt circle with no amenities...that's what we in the good ole United States are very familiar with called a damn good money laundering opportunity for politicians.
Boom. What a report by you Tony. A big congratulations on how articulate and easy you made it to understand whilst also giving further commentary and feedback. I have been once and I thought the place was crap. For starters, the paying public are jammed in to such a small space, you get that claustrophobic feeling. It is wishful thinking, but they should demolish it and start again.
Wow crazy stuff. I do like that the seating is close to the track and that the pathways are behind the seating. Once they get the track right, the mud hitting specators wont be a big issue. The solar panels made me laugh.
Used to work at the Toll warehouse around the corner from the old speedway in Rosehill. Those roadworks are so annoying and cause such huge delays and they aren't even close to finished yet. TIL they closed down Tomago speedway 20 years ago
Hi Toby I have been speedway supporter for over 50 years and never heard of such a stuff up as this . I just hope it can be resolved in my opinion it’s very important to have a top class
I grew up in rosehill in the 90's and i dont know a lot about sprint car racing but even someone like me was able to look at the new speedway and think... gee that doesn't look anything like the old one.. there's something odd about it. Glad you mentioned it. I hope they just bite the bullet and built a new one exactly the way it should have been from the beginning
I am so shocked at what I have just heard. One can only suspect something awfully corrupt has gone down here. Thank you Toby for bringing it to light. There needs to be an official inquiry held, and the relevant government department heads made to explain their total disregard for qualified advice and experience. How absolutely shameful. What you appear to have here is a track designed by a rank amateur who has never been to a single speedway meeting, and never had any interest in speedway either.
Yeeah I bet some company made bank doing this who was of course not owned by someone in govt involved in this lol. I love when naive people say the west isn't corrupt.. it's worse than corrupt countries because they hide it better AND you can't get off some BS speeding fine slipping the cops a 50 dollar note.
This blows, but it’s mind blowing that they did anything for yall, our local fair ground track in the USA got torn down and they said they’d build a replacement and when we asked about it after the demo they told us to get bent.
Toby, thanks for being such a strong advocate for (in particular) sprint car racing and (more generally) speedway racing in Australia. At this point, with all that money spent, I tend to think the best way to move forward is to try to correct the problems at the existing site. I don't think any government would countenance the complete scrapping of the development so it can move elsewhere. Just calling it how I see it. The whole Sydney thing is eclipsing the fact the Archerfield has now closed (something that was touted for decades before it happened) and no planning seems to have taken place for a new venue. If people are expecting private investment to pick this up, I think they are misguided. Any business case for a dirt speedway is likely to reveal that plenty of other investments will deliver a better return. Like it or not, lobbying of local, state and federal governments is the most likely way any new speedway can come to fruition. The only other option is for a consortium of interests (preferably with strong representation from Speedway Australia) to come together and use their passion for the sport to bring in the necessary funding from a range of investors. Naturally the investors need to be equally passionate for racing and not just looking for a healthy investment return. Sydney's case is rather different, I know. However, it seems the bed has now been made and we all have to sleep in it.
The Waldren's were wanting a deal that where the track was built it would be a successful venture, public transport, multiple entry points,, no dust issues etc. The government did not want to listen, so they walked away.
Don’t know why this video showed up in my suggestions, but man- I’m glad it did. Ronald Reagan had a famous line back in the eighties that fits this perfectly- “The scariest words ever uttered are ‘don’t worry. I’m from from the government, and I’m here to help.’” Subscribing from Kentucky in the States.
Only thing I can add is I love being close to the track . Met Canadians at my track Williams Grove Pa. US, that drove down for that reason. In the third turn you can get right up to the fence , above the track , and its the best. Even being pummeled, we wear safety glasses or shields. And drink beer !!!
This almost sounds like what happened over the last decade with was also supposed to be a world class operation by the name of “ Canadian Motor Speedway “...... at least you got the place built, our project got bound down with so much red tape, the operator basically said piss on it after spending about 100 million dollars... hopefully your track gets all the bugs worked out and everything is peachy!
This makes my blood boil with such a wasted opportunity to produce a fantastic venue having gone so terribly wrong. I shouldn't have laughed, but when you mentioned the solar panels a bit of wee came out. What is wrong with these muppets involved with this build, they need a right royal flogging. I'll be even more devastated for the NSW speedway community if I ever see it overgrown with grass and weeds 😠 Awesome presentation Toby
As sad and disappointing this whole debacle has become is it really a surprise? I mean there is not too many things politicians and their government department can get right. Great video TBB.
I dont think we can expect anything else but failures from our z class poloticians. They are pathetic. Just a tip, get the best person to fix the place up to make a $200 donation to a sitting member of state parliament. They will get the job and 500k a year. Thats how it works apparently. 20:43
I can remember when Liverpool Speedway closed, It was not due to lack of races or lack of crowds wanting to watch, it was due to the NSW government having little to no interest in having tracks in Sydney. Oran Park, Amaroo Park, ect ect, In the 70s and 80s Sydney had multiple dirt and road circuit's all closed due to the lack of government support and in some cases government pressure to close ( in the case of Liverpool ). It's sad to say but the NSW government has no interest in supporting racing in their state.
hello Toby .........you are doing great, informative job............to see what has happened to the Granville speedway and the sport is yet another Australian tragedy ... i would love to see the Eastern creek track actually start one day....Brett
Nice vid. Watching it though I couldn’t help but think… Pointing out that experts should have been consulted for the speedways design and construction parallels what we are voting for on Saturday. Namely why you should be voting Yes.
100 Million? Somebody pocketed a large chunk of the funding, because you should get a half decent equipped venue for that chunk of change! There needs to be an independent enquirey for major projects like this.
Mate 100%. My wife and I loved the old Valvoline raceway, we knew some of the drivers, we'd helped out occasionally at the track, we went to every major race, we took our first baby with us, always expected sprint cars to be a big part of our lives. Waiting for the new track was torture, and then when it finally opened we had to park ages away, my 2 year old did not enjoy the long walk, and once we found somewhere to sit at the track we were covered in so much hard clay. It was a nightmare, my second child hasn't even been to a sprint race, from that day we have pivoted to being an F1 family
@SprintCarHub Hi, did a great job detailing this, no doubt things will settle, eventually have to suck it, up like we did in WA, perhaps be considering additional content. Every State has experienced similar government bs over the years (not just speedway, all motor sport), maybe something you'd be interested in covering, comparing. Briefly as possible - Perth speedway was understandably relocated from the middle of residential, in the Perth show grounds (like the og Sydney speedway), however, it had a rail station at it's door. The new land is great (also where drags was relocated to) in the sense it's within the boundaries of Perth's largest Heavy industrial area (less whining about noise/dust), also land that was once caustic mud waste lakes after aluminium bauxite possessing (Alcoa), then covered/sealed with "clay". Like Eastern Creek, facility has great all in-one potential. Wanneroo Raceway (currently ~2hrs North), similar to Amaroo back in the day, resi has moved in, been getting complaints for years. But, similar design/access issues, government bs, budget blow outs, difficult for some to get to, 40min south, 10k's from rail, etc, etc. Cheers!
Toby, the only speedway I know with some infield lighting is Waikerie. And those are temporary lights. I have run every track in SA and S/W Victoria and no infield lights. Though most tracks have the lights higher and facing down onto the track. The rest I agree with. Thoug 6 hours a show. With a 10pm curfew that is max 3 hours unless they start mid afternoon. Most tracks have a 11pm curfew and many none at all. Warnambool as the prime example.
There was a nice dirt track in Royse City Tx in the middle of nowhere right off I-30 (North Texas Motor Speedway) It was torn down and now a school sits on the land. Another in Florida might face the same fate, (Cleetus Mcfarland Freedom Factory) empty farmland all around it, now the land has been bought and houses will be put right next to the property line of the track. Too many others to name.
There are a lot of shortcomings and issues with the track and lease agreements, no doubt. But let's also remember, the government were under no obligation to offer to build a new $100m speedway either, were they? We can complain about that 'they didn't ask this person, didn't listen to that person'. This attitude does not change the scenario that is going on now. Understand the frustrations, but that's the fact. The first thing we should be asking in this instance is who has audited the defects and has the construction contractor completed the build to the accuracy required by the design. If not, then the construction contract will have clauses written to ensure they address the defects. If there are design flaws, then that is a case for the govt to take up with the consultant(s) responsible. These govt contracts are always written in a way where the responsibilities sit with those doing the project delivery to execute to the project scope.
Mate thanks for this video, great insight into the whole thing. Top 5 greatest speedways in the world to a shit show. Please keep pushing to get this right NSW need a speedway. Parramatta was the epicentre and I can’t believe they didn’t consult experts. I’ll buy and shirt and anything else you have available at the next classic 2024 if your there. Great video and insight. 👏
Thanks Toby. Have watched it twice now and and boy have you laid it on the line. It looks like the previous govt may have given the job over to friends as a weekend job. After all you only need pit area to park the trucks, a circle of clay to run the competitors on and a few seats for the crowd if they come. It is nowhere near public transport but we wont worry about that and do that many people go that we will need more than one road in.? And these people were running our country???? Somebody out there please help us!!!!
Sad story. On a positive note an Aussie motorcycle rider came to the Baja Race and with little prep and never seeing the course ahead of time and Won! Congratulations.
Insightful video. The govt certainly should have consulted those more expert in what the track would provide. The Light Horse Interchange location is moot though. There was never any reality of that site happening. I'm a motorsports fan, but a location like Lightehorse Interchange was always going to be reserved for commerical operations. As much as SMSP is a great track to drive, for parking and visitor attendance, the experience is terrible. Let's hope the drainage and the track itself gets fixed. Not sure how the parking is going to no fixed We should just be lucky that such facilitates are available close to major metro areas. I mean, Sandown in Melbourne is about to close to be turned into houses.
Toby, you have done a fantastic job on this video, having been to the old Valvoline Speedway a few times I absolutely loved it. A great family atmosphere with fantastic entertainment. This is a sport that is truly family based, when you walk through the Pit area it was more Mum and Dad outfits with a few with pretty good corporate sponsors. The price of admission was good value, the food and drink stands well done and the entertainment non stop !!!! It is so frustrating, so sad to to see the old venue at Clyde shut down but what a great opportunity to build and develop "first class" facilities. You have to wonder if any of these naïve government officials have even bee to an event at the Speedway. I dare not comment on Constance for risk of being arrested lol and that would be for telling the truth. I am devastated by the waste of money, the heartache to all the competitors, and the loss of entertainment to the fans. It is hard to see how this will recover, I wish they had listened to the people who know, it could have been magnificent. You, however, have done a first class presentation, if I am this frustrated as a few times attendee I can only imagine how the promoters, fans and racers are feeling. I really hope for a resolution but I fear it won't be in my lifetime !!!!! Keep the fight going and I hope your enthusiasm and passion can bring about change, rest assured you will have my support as well as many others.
What a shame the government didn't listen too the people that know. Thanks Toby for your update, hope it gets resolved, with the people doing the job. From a Kiwi guy who loves sprintcars.
Top stuff Toby, love you’re work mate. What an absolute shambles. Cudos to John and Kathy Kelly for holding on as long as they did. When is Australia going to wake up to both Labour and Liberal. It’s time to usher in a totally new government. One who is not lost at sea. The two major parties have gone troppo. We need to clean up and start again
But all the lawyers go to the BAR. Maybe look into the BAR system... They serve the corporations, investors and the courts before they serve the people. They don't fear the people in Australia.. yall took covid on your knees!!! Bent down and kissed the hands that feed you...
Well done mate. Thankyou for the cudos and opportunity to help you with this one. Time the government took this seriously before it costs them any more money. The defects may be fixed but the fuck ups are everywhere.
Unfortunately greed & arrogance has destroyed corparate memory in so many professions that this is not surprising. Huge props for the Enzo call-out and it is mind boggling that he wasn't given the gig and yes, I am biased. Looks like you are now stuck with a defective facility with the culprits still in charge trying to minimise the damage, not fix, the problem.
I'm in the United States. This is interesting. Dirt racing or sprint car racing is really popular here. Even in the middle of the countryside, local tracks are amazing. The way we work here in the USA is if we racers don't like something, we just don't race that track. Unfortunately, taxpayers suffer most. Politicians have no expertise or qualifications to make personal decisions for anyone. They only think for themselves because, unfortunately, the general public allows it. What would happen if everyone decided not to pay annual taxes?
We have the same problem with our track, it's land lease from the Cape Town municipality. We need to buy our own land and build a new track on club private land.
I don’t follow racing I don’t live anywhere near this situation fiscally or mentally but this is so well put together.. seriously amazing content and superior documentation and storytelling. Let’s also not forget the editing. All together this is an amazing product, sending love and respect to everyone behind the scenes.
It is just as bad in Queensland after the closure of Archerfield. Truly sad times for fans of the sport in our part of the world. They were supposed to do the same sort of thing and build a track at Willowbank but its all died in the ass and now there is no track near Brisbane either, so we have to go to Toowoomba. I have not seen an event since. I used to travel to NSW to see the good events at Parramatta but we can't do that anymore either.
Well constructed video, I'm am not a Speedway fan either, but we all have family, friends and people we know that love it. Speedway fans should have got something better than they had, not worse, the stupidity of building it next to WSID alone tells everyone how out of touch the government was for both Speedway and drag racing, then to build a substandard complex not fit for purpose. Government needs to see this as an international tourism asset and start again in a position Speedway representatives want and a complex to rival the best Speedway track in Australia. Subscribed to see updates. I wonder what they could re-purpose the track layout for, if Speedway were to get what they deserve?
What an absolute government #*&%up. Wasn't aware of this incredible waste of money in building a venue that is not fit for purpose. Thanks for exposing the facts.
From what you said this sounds like a complete disaster this would have to be the biggest screw up I've seen in awhile. Politics and screwing shit up seem to go hand in hand. The simple process of talking to the people with the knowledge of speedway and what's required would have been a great idea.
The hubris of the government official early on in this documentary: "it's just a clay oval, not a difficult building at all." Followed by ignoring people who are involved in race tracks for a living.
Government blazes another trail of destruction and mayhem, then expects to dump all of the problems they created onto the promoter. Public servants are experts on everything, just ask them.
This the problem world wide, the government officials are so dumb, they think they know everything. It is so' frustrating to work with these dumb and arrogant people. they won't listen to any advice, because of corruption, they are too scared that they will be found out if they involve outside specialists. This goes for EVERYTHING they do. It's absolutely disgusting, the worst thing is if they got the help from outside specialists, the facility would have probably cost half of what they actually paid, and it would have been perfect, because the specialists would have looked and all other tracks and made everything better. The Architect's and Engineers should be sued.
Dirt track racing is grass roots racing. The fan base is not wealthy and there aren't very many of them. Sponsor money goes into the racing teams, not the tracks. You would be hard pressed to ever see a return on the investment if it cost $1M. It's best to start out with land that is well away from any city centers that has some infrastructure in place that is usable. Then you need to invest in a lot of used equipment, modest grandstands, etc. AND, you have to have and almost endless supply of water available.
Thanks Toby. You have exposed so many more problems than any of us could imagine. It's a complete nightmare.
Don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but here in the US , if the government wants a piece of land and a track is on it, for the most part they'll pretty much just take it and tell the track owner/promoter to go pound sand and the track is permanently gone with nothing to replace it. We have lost some great tracks because of government, and greedy/shady developers over the years. One of those being Ascot park in Gardena CA.
The Mile in Syracuse NY is an example
Doesn't it make you wish you had the NSW government,
to give you a season of racing that only makes you wish you still had what you used to have.
Garrett Francis, Your last two letters tell it all : CA
@@peterbubb5811I never saw a race at the Syracuse mile. I've been to the track and walked around it several times. I know it was a storied place for Modifieds annual finale but it was much too long and fast. They tried running late models there but I understand that the speeds with horrific crash stopped that. The first time they ran late models on clay at Bristol it came down to attrition. Wheels broke, engines blew and chassis cracked. When they did it recently the cars had evolved to better handle it.
@@ribbonsofnight yes, but won't be holding my breath.
Thank you Toby for such an unbiased report on the whole situation.
Brilliant insightful video Toby. It’s honestly hard to see this joint ever been viable for anybody to run, let alone the government fixing the mistakes made. I fear for the future of our sport and what it’s going to look like, but thankful you are at frontline fighting for us all Toby. Keep up the great work.
Nice job Toby! This is a textbook example of what happens when government gets involved in anything.
No, it is when governments don't listen to relevant people.
The government is run by Imbeciles who could never get and keep a Job in the Real World...
Too much government screws everybody! The only “fix”that will work is to vote out greedy politicians! Obviously, this track didn’t cost millions...where did the rest of the money go?
No. It is what happens when most voters rote-vote their granddad's favourite party regardless of policy or outcomes.
@@davidvanderklauwI didn't vote Liberal but personally I don't think it is just a a Liberal issue or even just government, we see these issues where the wrong person/s are put in charge without experience in the field. We all know someone like this, example: Cert 4 trainer and assessor with maybe a trade, then training something they have no skill or experience in, then our government wonders why standards go down.
It was once a requirement to have trade experience before becoming an engineer in that field.
Not sure how i got recommended this video, as i'm more of a drift guy. But this was a well constructed video and im a motor head at heart. Got yourself a new subscriber!
That's so awesome to hear!
Thanks for watching and following along.
I'm stoked that you enjoyed this vid!
-Toby
You've done very well on this video! Was wondering what was happening to the brand new track.
Man, this sucks! Great video as always Toby. I found one detail very interesting in that you broke down the number of hours of operation per year. That's an important detail in any track operation that most people probably don't think about.
Speedway is Dying in Australia unfortunately 😢 lost so many tracks, Your doing a great job keeping it alive wishing you all the best 👍🇦🇺🤝🇦🇺😊👍😎
Great vid. Do any of the politicians over there hold stock in the companies that were rewarded the bid on constructing that $100m ??
Wow, outstanding report.
On top of all of numerous and preventable problems you outlined, the angle of the barriers going into the infield is a serious injury or fatal accident waiting to happen -- very possible that a driver could hit those concrete barriers head on at speed.
$100 Million dirt circle with no amenities...that's what we in the good ole United States are very familiar with called a damn good money laundering opportunity for politicians.
Thanks for informing us all exactly what's going on with Eastern Creek speedway. It truly is a very sade and disappointing situation
Boom. What a report by you Tony. A big congratulations on how articulate and easy you made it to understand whilst also giving further commentary and feedback.
I have been once and I thought the place was crap. For starters, the paying public are jammed in to such a small space, you get that claustrophobic feeling.
It is wishful thinking, but they should demolish it and start again.
Wow crazy stuff. I do like that the seating is close to the track and that the pathways are behind the seating. Once they get the track right, the mud hitting specators wont be a big issue. The solar panels made me laugh.
Used to work at the Toll warehouse around the corner from the old speedway in Rosehill. Those roadworks are so annoying and cause such huge delays and they aren't even close to finished yet.
TIL they closed down Tomago speedway 20 years ago
Hi Toby I have been speedway supporter for over 50 years and never heard of such a stuff up as this . I just hope it can be resolved in my opinion it’s very important to have a top class
I grew up in rosehill in the 90's and i dont know a lot about sprint car racing but even someone like me was able to look at the new speedway and think... gee that doesn't look anything like the old one.. there's something odd about it. Glad you mentioned it. I hope they just bite the bullet and built a new one exactly the way it should have been from the beginning
I am so shocked at what I have just heard. One can only suspect something awfully corrupt has gone down here. Thank you Toby for bringing it to light. There needs to be an official inquiry held, and the relevant government department heads made to explain their total disregard for qualified advice and experience. How absolutely shameful. What you appear to have here is a track designed by a rank amateur who has never been to a single speedway meeting, and never had any interest in speedway either.
Yeeah I bet some company made bank doing this who was of course not owned by someone in govt involved in this lol. I love when naive people say the west isn't corrupt.. it's worse than corrupt countries because they hide it better AND you can't get off some BS speeding fine slipping the cops a 50 dollar note.
Nice to know Australia takes sprint car racing just as serious as we do here in America.
As soon as you said Ashley Yelds.
I knew it would be a cluster fuck.
He can't even run a volvo workshop....
You nailed it Toby ... "entire project has been a World Class Stuff-Up"
This blows, but it’s mind blowing that they did anything for yall, our local fair ground track in the USA got torn down and they said they’d build a replacement and when we asked about it after the demo they told us to get bent.
Toby, thanks for being such a strong advocate for (in particular) sprint car racing and (more generally) speedway racing in Australia.
At this point, with all that money spent, I tend to think the best way to move forward is to try to correct the problems at the existing site.
I don't think any government would countenance the complete scrapping of the development so it can move elsewhere.
Just calling it how I see it.
The whole Sydney thing is eclipsing the fact the Archerfield has now closed (something that was touted for decades before it happened) and no planning seems to have taken place for a new venue. If people are expecting private investment to pick this up, I think they are misguided. Any business case for a dirt speedway is likely to reveal that plenty of other investments will deliver a better return. Like it or not, lobbying of local, state and federal governments is the most likely way any new speedway can come to fruition. The only other option is for a consortium of interests (preferably with strong representation from Speedway Australia) to come together and use their passion for the sport to bring in the necessary funding from a range of investors. Naturally the investors need to be equally passionate for racing and not just looking for a healthy investment return.
Sydney's case is rather different, I know. However, it seems the bed has now been made and we all have to sleep in it.
The site won't move.
They just need to fix the issues
The Waldren's were wanting a deal that where the track was built it would be a successful venture, public transport, multiple entry points,, no dust issues etc. The government did not want to listen, so they walked away.
I miss sitting on that grass hill at Valvoline with my dad, hot dog in hand, ethanol up my nostrils and ears bleeding from the 8-cylinder orchestra.
Don’t know why this video showed up in my suggestions, but man- I’m glad it did.
Ronald Reagan had a famous line back in the eighties that fits this perfectly-
“The scariest words ever uttered are ‘don’t worry. I’m from from the government, and I’m here to help.’”
Subscribing from Kentucky in the States.
Only thing I can add is I love being close to the track . Met Canadians at my track Williams Grove Pa. US, that drove down for that reason. In the third turn you can get right up to the fence , above the track , and its the best. Even being pummeled, we wear safety glasses or shields. And drink beer !!!
Bring back Liverpool speedway 👍👍 spent my childhood there , great memories
👏👏👏 Great video Toby very will put together and what a disgrace the whole project has been.
Brilliant video Toby, thanks for revealing everything
outstanding video. breaks my heart to watch though. what an absolute gongshow.
This almost sounds like what happened over the last decade with was also supposed to be a world class operation by the name of “ Canadian Motor Speedway “...... at least you got the place built, our project got bound down with so much red tape, the operator basically said piss on it after spending about 100 million dollars... hopefully your track gets all the bugs worked out and everything is peachy!
This makes my blood boil with such a wasted opportunity to produce a fantastic venue having gone so terribly wrong. I shouldn't have laughed, but when you mentioned the solar panels a bit of wee came out. What is wrong with these muppets involved with this build, they need a right royal flogging. I'll be even more devastated for the NSW speedway community if I ever see it overgrown with grass and weeds 😠 Awesome presentation Toby
As sad and disappointing this whole debacle has become is it really a surprise? I mean there is not too many things politicians and their government department can get right.
Great video TBB.
Wow, this all makes the Thunderdome seem like a well thought out facility.
Your speaking for all of us good job Toby
this needs to be sent to ICAC, $100million for THIS ? 15 floor apartment buildings dont cost this much to build
I dont think we can expect anything else but failures from our z class poloticians. They are pathetic. Just a tip, get the best person to fix the place up to make a $200 donation to a sitting member of state parliament. They will get the job and 500k a year. Thats how it works apparently. 20:43
What a disaster. And Brisbane doesn't have a local track anymore. What are they going to do now??
Thanks for sharing, quality insight to what is actually happening
I can remember when Liverpool Speedway closed, It was not due to lack of races or lack of crowds wanting to watch, it was due to the NSW government having little to no interest in having tracks in Sydney. Oran Park, Amaroo Park, ect ect, In the 70s and 80s Sydney had multiple dirt and road circuit's all closed due to the lack of government support and in some cases government pressure to close ( in the case of Liverpool ). It's sad to say but the NSW government has no interest in supporting racing in their state.
hello Toby .........you are doing great, informative job............to see what has happened to the Granville speedway and the sport is yet another Australian tragedy ... i would love to see the Eastern creek track actually start one day....Brett
Nice vid. Watching it though I couldn’t help but think… Pointing out that experts should have been consulted for the speedways design and construction parallels what we are voting for on Saturday. Namely why you should be voting Yes.
100 Million? Somebody pocketed a large chunk of the funding, because you should get a half decent equipped venue for that chunk of change! There needs to be an independent enquirey for major projects like this.
Mate 100%. My wife and I loved the old Valvoline raceway, we knew some of the drivers, we'd helped out occasionally at the track, we went to every major race, we took our first baby with us, always expected sprint cars to be a big part of our lives.
Waiting for the new track was torture, and then when it finally opened we had to park ages away, my 2 year old did not enjoy the long walk, and once we found somewhere to sit at the track we were covered in so much hard clay. It was a nightmare, my second child hasn't even been to a sprint race, from that day we have pivoted to being an F1 family
@SprintCarHub Hi, did a great job detailing this, no doubt things will settle, eventually have to suck it, up like we did in WA, perhaps be considering additional content.
Every State has experienced similar government bs over the years (not just speedway, all motor sport), maybe something you'd be interested in covering, comparing.
Briefly as possible - Perth speedway was understandably relocated from the middle of residential, in the Perth show grounds (like the og Sydney speedway), however, it had a rail station at it's door.
The new land is great (also where drags was relocated to) in the sense it's within the boundaries of Perth's largest Heavy industrial area (less whining about noise/dust), also land that was once caustic mud waste lakes after aluminium bauxite possessing (Alcoa), then covered/sealed with "clay".
Like Eastern Creek, facility has great all in-one potential. Wanneroo Raceway (currently ~2hrs North), similar to Amaroo back in the day, resi has moved in, been getting complaints for years. But, similar design/access issues, government bs, budget blow outs, difficult for some to get to, 40min south, 10k's from rail, etc, etc.
Cheers!
Cheers for the Update Toby.
such a shame.
Toby, the only speedway I know with some infield lighting is Waikerie. And those are temporary lights. I have run every track in SA and S/W Victoria and no infield lights.
Though most tracks have the lights higher and facing down onto the track. The rest I agree with.
Thoug 6 hours a show. With a 10pm curfew that is max 3 hours unless they start mid afternoon. Most tracks have a 11pm curfew and many none at all. Warnambool as the prime example.
Sounds like you got the redline.
Amazing insight into what’s really going on with all the true facts
As Ronald Reagan famously said, the nine scariest words a citizen can hear are: "I'm from the govenment, and I'm here to help."
You dropped this mate, 👑
Excellant piece. Bloody unbeliveable.
Right on. Thanks for sharing.
Great job Toby , fancey that NSW Gov and Speedway Aust managed to screw it up didn't need a crystal ball for that .
There was a nice dirt track in Royse City Tx in the middle of nowhere right off I-30 (North Texas Motor Speedway) It was torn down and now a school sits on the land. Another in Florida might face the same fate, (Cleetus Mcfarland Freedom Factory) empty farmland all around it, now the land has been bought and houses will be put right next to the property line of the track. Too many others to name.
The Parra speedway was left to nature till well into this year too, I drive past it all the time.
There are a lot of shortcomings and issues with the track and lease agreements, no doubt. But let's also remember, the government were under no obligation to offer to build a new $100m speedway either, were they?
We can complain about that 'they didn't ask this person, didn't listen to that person'. This attitude does not change the scenario that is going on now. Understand the frustrations, but that's the fact.
The first thing we should be asking in this instance is who has audited the defects and has the construction contractor completed the build to the accuracy required by the design. If not, then the construction contract will have clauses written to ensure they address the defects. If there are design flaws, then that is a case for the govt to take up with the consultant(s) responsible. These govt contracts are always written in a way where the responsibilities sit with those doing the project delivery to execute to the project scope.
Mate thanks for this video, great insight into the whole thing. Top 5 greatest speedways in the world to a shit show. Please keep pushing to get this right NSW need a speedway. Parramatta was the epicentre and I can’t believe they didn’t consult experts. I’ll buy and shirt and anything else you have available at the next classic 2024 if your there. Great video and insight. 👏
Thanks,from over here n the west we didn’t know much about this..
Great video. How did they get it so wrong 🤷♂️ good luck getting a new promoter. Speedway Australia need step up and clear the air
Incredible! Such a shame ! Great video 👏🏻👏🏻
Thanks Toby. Have watched it twice now and and boy have you laid it on the line. It looks like the previous govt may have given the job over to friends as a weekend job. After all you only need pit area to park the trucks, a circle of clay to run the competitors on and a few seats for the crowd if they come. It is nowhere near public transport but we wont worry about that and do that many people go that we will need more than one road in.? And these people were running our country???? Somebody out there please help us!!!!
Sad story. On a positive note an Aussie motorcycle rider came to the Baja Race and with little prep and never seeing the course ahead of time and Won! Congratulations.
Solar panels at a dirt track speedway 🤡😂😂😂😂😂
Well done.
Just a question: Is there public transport near the speedway?? Train/bus stop.
No nothing 🤦♂️
Insightful video. The govt certainly should have consulted those more expert in what the track would provide.
The Light Horse Interchange location is moot though. There was never any reality of that site happening.
I'm a motorsports fan, but a location like Lightehorse Interchange was always going to be reserved for commerical operations.
As much as SMSP is a great track to drive, for parking and visitor attendance, the experience is terrible.
Let's hope the drainage and the track itself gets fixed.
Not sure how the parking is going to no fixed
We should just be lucky that such facilitates are available close to major metro areas.
I mean, Sandown in Melbourne is about to close to be turned into houses.
Toby, you have done a fantastic job on this video, having been to the old Valvoline Speedway a few times I absolutely loved it. A great family atmosphere with fantastic entertainment. This is a sport that is truly family based, when you walk through the Pit area it was more Mum and Dad outfits with a few with pretty good corporate sponsors. The price of admission was good value, the food and drink stands well done and the entertainment non stop !!!! It is so frustrating, so sad to to see the old venue at Clyde shut down but what a great opportunity to build and develop "first class" facilities. You have to wonder if any of these naïve government officials have even bee to an event at the Speedway. I dare not comment on Constance for risk of being arrested lol and that would be for telling the truth. I am devastated by the waste of money, the heartache to all the competitors, and the loss of entertainment to the fans. It is hard to see how this will recover, I wish they had listened to the people who know, it could have been magnificent. You, however, have done a first class presentation, if I am this frustrated as a few times attendee I can only imagine how the promoters, fans and racers are feeling. I really hope for a resolution but I fear it won't be in my lifetime !!!!! Keep the fight going and I hope your enthusiasm and passion can bring about change, rest assured you will have my support as well as many others.
What a shame the government didn't listen too the people that know.
Thanks Toby for your update, hope it gets resolved, with the people doing the job.
From a Kiwi guy who loves sprintcars.
Top stuff Toby, love you’re work mate. What an absolute shambles. Cudos to John and Kathy Kelly for holding on as long as they did. When is Australia going to wake up to both Labour and Liberal. It’s time to usher in a totally new government. One who is not lost at sea. The two major parties have gone troppo. We need to clean up and start again
But all the lawyers go to the BAR. Maybe look into the BAR system... They serve the corporations, investors and the courts before they serve the people. They don't fear the people in Australia.. yall took covid on your knees!!! Bent down and kissed the hands that feed you...
Well done mate. Thankyou for the cudos and opportunity to help you with this one.
Time the government took this seriously before it costs them any more money. The defects may be fixed but the fuck ups are everywhere.
They need people that no about speedway to build one without these issue’s
Worldwide, the only thing you can count on is developers will take even the worst locations if they can take the price sky-high. RIP Oran Park!
Unfortunately greed & arrogance has destroyed corparate memory in so many professions that this is not surprising. Huge props for the Enzo call-out and it is mind boggling that he wasn't given the gig and yes, I am biased. Looks like you are now stuck with a defective facility with the culprits still in charge trying to minimise the damage, not fix, the problem.
I'm in the United States. This is interesting. Dirt racing or sprint car racing is really popular here. Even in the middle of the countryside, local tracks are amazing. The way we work here in the USA is if we racers don't like something, we just don't race that track.
Unfortunately, taxpayers suffer most.
Politicians have no expertise or qualifications to make personal decisions for anyone. They only think for themselves because, unfortunately, the general public allows it.
What would happen if everyone decided not to pay annual taxes?
We have the same problem with our track, it's land lease from the Cape Town municipality.
We need to buy our own land and build a new track on club private land.
They did that here in Perth wa
Claremont speedway I haven’t
been to the speedway since
Being australia i'm surprised the government didn't just outlaw racing, that's what truD'oh would do under the guise of reducing carbon
I don’t follow racing I don’t live anywhere near this situation fiscally or mentally but this is so well put together.. seriously amazing content and superior documentation and storytelling. Let’s also not forget the editing. All together this is an amazing product, sending love and respect to everyone behind the scenes.
Australia is a whole different world.
It is just as bad in Queensland after the closure of Archerfield. Truly sad times for fans of the sport in our part of the world.
They were supposed to do the same sort of thing and build a track at Willowbank but its all died in the ass and now there is no track near Brisbane either, so we have to go to Toowoomba.
I have not seen an event since. I used to travel to NSW to see the good events at Parramatta but we can't do that anymore either.
Sounds like a typical "public project" where the only thing that really mattered was who was "contributing" to the politicians' "campaign funds."
thanks Toby, sounds like a typical "bean counter" led project.
"never done it before how hard could it be"
"we have no experience building a track, what could possibly go wrong?"
Well researched and explained.👍
Well constructed video, I'm am not a Speedway fan either, but we all have family, friends and people we know that love it.
Speedway fans should have got something better than they had, not worse, the stupidity of building it next to WSID alone tells everyone how out of touch the government was for both Speedway and drag racing, then to build a substandard complex not fit for purpose.
Government needs to see this as an international tourism asset and start again in a position Speedway representatives want and a complex to rival the best Speedway track in Australia.
Subscribed to see updates.
I wonder what they could re-purpose the track layout for, if Speedway were to get what they deserve?
Great work Toby you’ve done yourself proud, as usual it’s the common man showing how bad politicians are
What an absolute government #*&%up. Wasn't aware of this incredible waste of money in building a venue that is not fit for purpose. Thanks for exposing the facts.
It wasn't a waste. Andrews Mayes got a fat construction contract that helped them pocket a massive amount of money
great work Toby.
Wow, motorsports fan for 60 years, work at Perris Auto speedway 27years, just feel real bad about that horrible situation.
Wow, this is just a kick in the nuts. I dont even follow speedway and am not from Australia but I feel your pain. Australasian bureaucracy atm.
“World class stuff up” perfectly said Toby.
It’ll be fine! What could possibly go wrong?
Between this mess and Archerfield being closed Australian speedway is in a bad place at the moment, hopefully something gets sorted for the industry
Don't hold your breath. The demons that control our governments don't want motorsports to exist anymore 'to save the planet'.
From what you said this sounds like a complete disaster this would have to be the biggest screw up I've seen in awhile. Politics and screwing shit up seem to go hand in hand. The simple process of talking to the people with the knowledge of speedway and what's required would have been a great idea.
The hubris of the government official early on in this documentary: "it's just a clay oval, not a difficult building at all." Followed by ignoring people who are involved in race tracks for a living.
ive never seen something so destroyed before great video and a shame .
What a freaking disaster. Tragedy for the sport. The big question now; can it be fixed?
Government blazes another trail of destruction and mayhem, then expects to dump all of the problems they created onto the promoter. Public servants are experts on everything, just ask them.
Well put together Toby, BUT....where to now????...Caterpillars comes to mind.
This the problem world wide, the government officials are so dumb, they think they know everything. It is so' frustrating to work with these dumb and arrogant people. they won't listen to any advice, because of corruption, they are too scared that they will be found out if they involve outside specialists. This goes for EVERYTHING they do. It's absolutely disgusting, the worst thing is if they got the help from outside specialists, the facility would have probably cost half of what they actually paid, and it would have been perfect, because the specialists would have looked and all other tracks and made everything better. The Architect's and Engineers should be sued.
Dirt track racing is grass roots racing. The fan base is not wealthy and there aren't very many of them. Sponsor money goes into the racing teams, not the tracks. You would be hard pressed to ever see a return on the investment if it cost $1M. It's best to start out with land that is well away from any city centers that has some infrastructure in place that is usable. Then you need to invest in a lot of used equipment, modest grandstands, etc. AND, you have to have and almost endless supply of water available.
100%