34 replies to this topic

[DNQ]

Hi all, I've followed the Nostalgia forum for a long time, but never actually posted (Ten-Tenths is where I usually hide out), but I'd like in my first post here to call upon your help to help petition the Pine Rivers Shire Council to reopen the home of Motorsport in Queensland - Lakeside.

Opened in 1961, as the fastest track in the nation, Lakeside twice held the Australian GP, and until 1998 a round of the ATCC. Club, National and International level racing in motorbikes, sportscars, touringcars, go karts, single seaters and sports sedans (amongst others) have all race at the circuit - Until 2001, when the PRSC purchased the track and shut it down as a venue for racing. The track now lies abandoned - thankfully it has not been destroyed, nor are there any plans to - so there is nothing other than politics blocking racing at the circuit.

Please sign the petition to Re-Open Lakeside International Raceway.

Check out this thread to follow the progress.

Lakeside Today



Regards,

Scott



Moderators: I am sorry if this post has been posted in the wrong forum, or if it oversteps the mark as far as self-promotion goes - this is my first post here at AtlasF1.

[Bernd]

erm.... When Lakeside was opened Longford was in business and significantly faster.

Regardless if it was closed it would be a great loss to Australian Motor Sport.

[DNQ]

Ooops...Bernd you're right there, in what you say - I should have written it better. I meant fastest track that is still in existence and has recently been used for racing, if you get my gist

[Damon Beck]

You've got my signature and support.

I travelled to Lakeside from Sydney in July 1967 for the Australian Touring Car Car Championship. The race was a huge tussle between two greats of Australian Touring Cars - Norm Beechey and Ian "Pete" Geoghegan. The result was resolved when, after many laps of torrid and close racing, Norm's Chevy Nova V8 blew a tyre and crashed, leaving Ian to another victory in his Australian-prepared Mustang V8. In 1988 I raced there in a stock Suzuki GTi 1300. I have also watched practically all televised events there over the years.

It needs to be reopened not just for sentimental reasons, but pragmatic:- Brisbane is a very Motor-Sport conscious city with a huge enthusiast base and needs Lakeside to meet their and other needs.

[Flying Panda]

Originally posted by DNQ
Ooops...Bernd you're right there, in what you say - I should have written it better. I meant fastest track that is still in existence and has recently been used for racing, if you get my gist

Calder Park Thunderdome?;)

Originally posted by Damon Beck
It needs to be reopened not just for sentimental reasons, but pragmatic:- Brisbane is a very Motor-Sport conscious city with a huge enthusiast base and needs Lakeside to meet their and other needs.

Not just Brisbane.
I often go racing in Maryborough, Gympie, Gatton and Yandina. And some of the time, the whole town comes to watch.

[normbeechey]

This unique piece of Australian motor racing history can not be let to die. It is the most spectacular race track in Australia, and I am a Victorian saying that!!! My visit in 1995 will stay with me forever. I hope the petition will lead me to be able to return one day.

www.drive.to/beechey

Chris.

[Cal]

There will be a meeting at the gates of Lakeside raceway in Brisbane at 2pm this Saturday 25/5 to discuss the future of the track. I understand that representatives from the Pine Rivers Shire Council (the owners) will be there to hear the opinions of the supporters. I am unable to attend as I have to photograph a wedding. I really want to be there to show support and would cancel anything else for it. If you live in or around Brisbane and can make it to the track on Saturday, please please go along and state our case. This may be our last chance to save this historic racing venue. This place has been a big part of my youth. I'm sure it means even more to those of you who stood at Carousel or Hungry to watch Clark, Brabham or Hulme in the 60's.

Cheers Cal.

[Ray Bell]

What? The arrogant mongrels!

How could they do this? How can support be shown properly when it's arranged for a time when virtually anyone who's involved with racing will be way out at Willowbank for a race meeting?

I'd love to be there, but I'm stuck down here this week... Don't anyone take anything for granted with this crowd, either. I've had dealings with them, the 'lady' in charge is very two faced.

[Cal]

I am about to embark on a crusade to make this a reality. Any additional signatures would be much appreciated.

Thanks for posting it Scott.

Cheers Cal.

[Falcadore]

On Saturday afternoon, 2pm-3pm, this weekend, May25, there will be a public meeting held at the front gates of Lakeside International Raceway.

The meeting is being organised by Cr Chris Monsour, the Pine Rivers Shire Council representative for Division 9, Lakeside's division.

Cr Monsour wants Lakeside closed permanently and erased from existance and the site re-used for some other purpose. We need as many people there as possible to rebut her claims and show her that the public opinion she hopes to whip up is not on her side.

If anyone can help come to the circuits front gates 2pm this Saturday.

Thank you.

[Ray Bell]

Cr Monsour is not your really evil villain...

Note that this meeting is scheduled for a time and date when virtually the whole motor racing community will be involved some 90kms or so to the south west!!

How about putting pressure on them to postpone the meeting. My nephew is racing at Qld Raceway, but would always rather be at Lakeside... but he's tied up at Willowbank... like all his mates.

[Falcadore]

Ray,
I'm supposed to be on the mike at QR when the meeting happens, but will try to leave early on Sat to get to the meeting at Lakeside. It will make a good discussion point for Sunday I'm sure. Be a real shame to miss the Saturday races though.

Cr Monsour may not be the really evil villain, but she's the one with the power.

[Ray Bell]

There is something that can be done...

Pressure them to postpone the meeting at the front gates of the circuits from this weekend to a date when there is no conflicting race meeting at Queensland Raceway!

[Ray Bell]

You miss the point...

You really have to get the Lakeside meeting postponed, and then promote attendance over the air at QR... Don't trust that Council one inch

[Cal]

The meeting is never going to be postponed. Chris Monsour has deliberately and gutlessly organised it for this weekend.

Cheers Cal.

[Cal]

bump

[Cal]

bump

[Ray Bell]

A letter to the editor of the Courier Mail is required then, to show the hypocrisy...

And front page articles in the Northern Times and Pine Rivers News.

[Cal]

I see your point Ray. However, I feel that if we raise more public awareness in the Pine Rivers Shire, we will just get more people who want to see that place turn into a botanical gardens or whatever. We need to focus on the people in the racing community.

Cal.

[Ray Bell]

Even in the Pine Rivers Shire people will see the cynicism and deplore it. But you have a point there... one major group who might have members available is the HRCC of Qld... not many of them will be racing this weekend, I wouldn't think.

Don Thallon and Bill Westerman should be contacted.

[Cal]

Don is overseas racing for a year and I have just spoken to Bill. He will be there.

[Ray Bell]

And will speak eloquently for the re-opening, I'm sure....

Thanks, Cal... now, for anyone who wants to press for the meeting to be rescheduled, here are some phone numbers:

Chris Monsour at the Council... 07 3205 0512 (Int: 61 7 3205 0512)

Chris Monsour's mobile... 0417 751 489

And if you can't ring or want to send an e.mail, try this:

councillors@prsc.qld.gov.au

I think everyone should do this, Lakeside deserves some sort of a chance...

[Ray Bell]

This weekend, at 2pm on Saturday, there will be a meeting at the gates to Lakeside Raceway in Brisbane to determine public interest in it continuing.

The meeting has been called by Ms Chris Monsour, a councillor with the Pine Rivers Shire and apparently an advocate of bulldozing every shred of the joint into non-existence.

The date has been carefully chosen. There is a race meeting at Queensland Raceway, at Willowbank, some 90km or more away that weekend, with both practice and racing on Saturday as well as racing on Sunday.

Not only that, motorcycles are racing at far-off Morgan Park, at Warwick (about 170km away) this weekend as well.

It's really unlikely that she could have chosen a weekend that better suited her purpose!

What kind of an elected representative is this? By the way, there has never been any significant public resistance to Lakeside's existence. Never any public clamour for its closure. No real noise problems...

The one thing that could be dragged up is that it might pollute Lake Kurwongbah, a drinking water reservoir it adjoins.

But then, the speedboats and water-skiers would do enough of that!

[Cal]

If anybody would like to receive an email from me as I find out more and try and bring this large group of people together. I have started a new account savinglakeside@hotmail.com to get comments and to find out who wants to be involved. This is sort of an intrum measure until I can work out how to do it more effectively.

Thanks,

Cal.

[Flying Panda]

I unfortunalty wont be able to make it,
but I Have conviced a few others to go.


I will be able to go, but someone would need to pick me up.
Dont bother unless you live in Beaudesert.

[Cal]

Mark. if you read this. I was thinking what a great idea it would be if you encouraged all of the racers at QR to clean up at 1pm and scoot off to Lakeside tomorrow! They will still get an hour in before dark, when they get back.

[Falcadore]

Much as I agree with the sentiment, I don't think it would go down very well witrh QR management if I told everyone to stop what they were doing, escpecially those people out on the track, were'heading north.

While a convoy of racecars travelling from QR to Lakeside would be more than a little impressive, the Police would likely take a dim view of proceedings.

I've been talking with a few people, and while the car racing community will be thin on the ground, kart and bike sections of the racing community will be represented. It's their racetrack to.

I'll give as many people a lift from QR as possible. Which is essentialy 1 as I drive a Datsun Z.

Ray: postponing the meeting will not be possible. It's Cr Monsour's meeting, and the timing with the QR event is not co-incidence.

[Cal]

I didn't mean, take the cars......lol.

It is those people who can make this a reality. Who gives a pigs whistle what "manangement" thinks.

Are you for this cause or aren't you?

Cal.

[Cal]

Sorry. that sounded harsh. I can't go myself. Allbeit for good reason. I am just very concerned about this subject.

[Falcadore]

There are some things I can and can't say of course. This comes under the heading of have a chat to senior com and work out how to best phrase it. I'll defintaely be trying something.

I know you didn't mean the convoy thing - but it made a startling picture in my mind - and an oh so effective media event!

[Cal]

Any news on what happened out there on Saturday Mark?

[Ray Bell]

Everyone's been remarkably silent about it...

[DNQ]

Just an update on the Lakeside situation...

...the petition has been cancelled from lack of interest, publicity etc, but in reality, that isn't a problem, as the effectiveness is minimal. The PRSC already knows how much race fans want the circuit back...

Regarding the actual circuit, from what I've heard, things are looking up - very few people turned up to the anti-lakeside protest, and apparently, I believe the circuit can reopen once someone can pay the insurance costs, which of course anyone in Australia will know is almost impossible these days with the recent hikes. Anyway, don't quote me on what's been said above, but I think things are on the up. Guess it's just a matter of time.

[Mark Beckman]

My info is different.

The Council are not only in support of re-opening but went to the auction and spent $45,000 on purchasing the buildings and amenities etc from the track for the track, not exactly the actions of an "against" Council.

My work brings me in contact constantly with the Historical (hysterical?) motorbike racing club and they tell me the Council are all ears, discussions are going great and that the main issue is insurance which they are still sorting out, it will all be a slow process though.

Now that the Goverment is introducing "Dangerous sports at your own risk" legislation the insurance factor looks better.

Apparently there is an easement that goes thru the guts of Lakeside which doesnt allow for housing development and as well the Golf Club have been told Motor Sports has as much right to be there as they do - by the Council - the Golf Cllub being totally against, no suprise.

Also...

Darlington Park is still making progress, as is the short but useful Warwick track and there is a Man with a lot of money (well known racing identity) trying to purchase land around Cunungra to establish a proper racing facility so everything isnt grim.

[DNQ]

Well you're right Mark - my news is out of date, and just what I heard on another forum about 6 weeks ago. At least the track is saved from the same fate as Amaroo Park then...