Airbase supercar plan takes off

By BRIAN RUDMAN


Car racing identity Frank Radisich wants Whenuapai airbase to become a motorsport park and alternative venue for the controversial V8 supercar street race.

He says that within five years the Pukekohe car race track will be used exclusively for horse training and Auckland will not have a permanent base for motorsport.

Mr Radisich has the support of more than 90 top figures in motorsport, including Greg Murphy, winner of last weekend's Bathurst 1000, and Ken Smith, Craig Baird, Jason Richards, Brian Lawrence and Paul Radisich.

In a joint submission to the Minister of Economic Development, Jim Anderton, Mr Radisich and project partner Peter Sinton, a town planner, call on the Government to defer a final decision on the future of the airbase until an investigation of the motorsport park concept is made.

As a short-term measure they want the Government to make Whenuapai available for the V8 Supercar event from 2006 onward.

They predict the new Auckland City Council will reject the proposed Victoria Park venue and want an alternative venue available so that race owner Tony Cochrane doesn't carry out his threat to cut New Zealand out of the V8 race circuit if the Auckland CBD venue is vetoed.

The submission criticises the Waitakere City authorities for promoting Whenuapai as a second commercial airport for Auckland and ignoring and not promoting "any alternative use that would conflict with this scenario".

It also points out that the Ministry of Defence and the Auckland Regional Council reports to the Government on the future of the airbase did not examine the motorsport idea.

The motorsport park would include motorsport industries and provide a venue for car, truck, motorbike and kart racing, motorshows, driver training facilities, areas for boy racers and other youths, driver training for owners of high-performance cars and police driver training.

Mr Radisich sees it developing into a business park.

At present the industry is scattered. "If you want an engine done you have to go to Otahuhu, if you want a chassis you go out to West Auckland. It would be like Silverstone, where they've got businesses all there."

Also, "what Auckland needs is a place for testing and driver training. All these youths that Mr Banks [the former Auckland mayor] was screaming about, they need somewhere to go under controlled conditions. I used to be able to tear around the street in my early days but today they can't".

The two men made submissions to the V8 planning hearing opposing the downtown site.

"The V8 car race needs to happen in the Auckland region," said Mr Sinton. "Banksie got the concept right but the wrong place. As a planner, I will go right to the Environment Court to defend that position."

Mr Radisich says the base is large enough to have up to five tracks.

Mr Anderton said the land was taken under the Public Works Act as an airbase and to be retained for anything else, the new use had to be of national significance.

He would seek advice but was not holding his breath on a motorsport park qualifying.

"If it doesn't," he said, "it's a matter for the local region."