Speedway set to stay at Western Springs

Aerial picture - Western Springs speedway track, Auckland. 23 April 2015 New Zealand Herald Photograph by Brett Phibbs

Western Springs looks set to remain the home of speedway with promoters in talks to extend their lease beyond the current term which ends in 2018.

A proposed shift from Western Springs to Mt Smart Stadium, as part of Regional Facilities Auckland's initial stadium strategy, appears to be on the backburner with the Warriors now set to take up a new 10-year lease at the Penrose venue after their current deal expires in 2018.

Speedway promoter Greg Mosen confirmed they are hoping to extend their tenure at Western Springs, and that no other alternative speedway venues have been proposed by RFA.

"If we were to move from Western Springs it would only be because we want to go and we're very, very happy with what the alternative venue is," Mosen told Radio Sport.

"It would need to be very, very good. That would have to be a substantially good deal and it would need to suit us all and right at the moment I'm not sure if there's anything available.

"At the moment there's been no discussion about where that venue might be, what alternatives there are.

"There's some loose discussion around what Plan B might look like, but we've actually extended our tenure at Western Springs. And at the moment, we're signing an extension of our tenure there. So that's quite encouraging.

"Currently we're there to 2018 and the extension's further. I don't want to talk too much about that because right at the moment it's being signed.

"So I'm quite comfortable with the fact that we are entrenched at Western Springs. We can give our competitors some certainty around the fact speedway has a future in Auckland."

Mosen said the proposed speedway shift to Mt Smart was never set in stone and that the idea had simply been suggested by RFA as one option for relocation, which was dependent on the Warriors leaving the venue.

"I was happy to look at it," he said. "The discussions that we were having were that if the Warriors go would we consider Mt Smart as an option.

"All we said to the RFA was 'if it's an option, we'll look at it'. That would be crazy not to. So we're just sitting on the fence. We're having a good look in and we'll just see what comes."

Mosen dismissed Waikaraka Park as a possible alternative and said the speedway had managed to overcome numerous limitations to continue successfully at Western Springs.
"Western Springs has got a really wonderful feel about it as a spectator, as a fan, as a competitor.

"It's tight there, we don't have a lot of room, and we were challenged with all those things, and earlier on with noise. Now we're compliant and have been for many years.
"So we're doing all we can and it seems to work."