Bill Buckley comments on the Western Springs speedway.
The Auckland Stock and Saloon Club is offering its home at Waikaraka Park to speedway, which will be homeless after its final meeting at Western Springs on Saturday.
President Frank Irvine said the stock and saloon club would welcome speedway with open arms.
His comments come as pressure mounts onAuckland Mayor Phil Goff to resolve the future of speedway.
The council's regional facilities body has made it clear it will not be extending speedway's lease at Western Springs beyond March. It's uncertain where they will race next year.
An online petition to keep speedway at Western Springs indefinitely or until a suitable replacement is developed has attracted nearly 30,000 signatures.
Irvine said the driver-led club is keen to be part of the discussions about the long-term solution to speedway in Auckland and keen to grow the sport and create the right environment.
The offer has been rejected by Western Springs speedway promoter Bill Buckley, who said Waikaraka Park is unsuitable for international drivers, had safety issues and only had a grandstand for 3000 fans. Thousands more attend speedway at Western Springs.
Buckley said speedway had looked at Waikaraka Park in Onehunga and believed it would cost $40 million to move there.
It would cost a lot less to move to a motorsport precinct at Colin Dale Park, he said.
Speedway promoter Bill Buckley is not keen on moving to Waikaraka Park.
Irvine said it would cost $5m to rebuild its condemned stadium and public toilets.
A Regional Facilities Auckland(RFA) spokesman said speedway could race at Waikaraka Park now, but if it was to stay there for any length of time, new temporary seating, upgraded lighting, a new race pit and a new race control centre would be needed at a cost of about $5m.
Last year, RFA planned to redevelop Waikaraka Park for all classes of speedway, but the idea was dropped in favour of moving speedway to Colin Dale Park.
With speedway's Western Springs lease due to finish at the end of this season, Irvine said the situation was embarrassing.
With 35 consented events annually, as opposed to 12 at Western Springs, Irvine said Waikaraka Park could easily accommodate the additional competitors.
"We also want to do right by the current users at Colin Dale Park. BMX and motocross have been mucked around by the flip-flopping on whether speedway will muscle in on their home venue and kartsport has been left dangling.
Waikaraka Park in Onehunga has been put up by the Auckland Stock & Saloon Car Club as a new home for speedway.
"It would make so much sense to have BMX, motocross, kartsport and Off-Road Racing enjoy purpose-built amenities at Colin Dale Park, to see Rosebank Road host speedway bikes and sidecars and enhance Waikaraka Park to include the three more open-wheel classes from Western Springs," Irvine said.
He said suggestions that Western Springs open-wheel speedway classes could not be raced at Waikaraka Park is not true.
"We run three classes of open-wheel speedway cars ourselves - modified sportsman, six-shooters and mini sprints," he said.
