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Yeah it seems there's more than one car club in an awesome financial position

Id love to get SAUNSW to that level one day

I think the key thing is to aim small initially. It's hard to look at clubs like that and not start aiming for our own track in the middle of the CBD :-)

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I think the key thing is to aim small initially. It's hard to look at clubs like that and not start aiming for our own track in the middle of the CBD :-)

Exactly :D

I doubt ill still be around by that stage

Plenty of difference between SAU and these other big clubs tho...

The majority SAU forum users would be made up of <25yo's many whom are single, are working but not on high incomes (ie just finished study or only working part-time etc), still live at home with the parents and bought a Skyline because it looked fully sick and wanted to race mates at the traffic lights!

Then you look at say the MG club which would be made up of 40-50-60yo's, probably semi-retired with hardly any debt, kids are grown up and moved on, on higher incomes due to having a longterm career or even having their own business so plenty of time with plenty of money.

May not be entirely accurate, but it wouldn't be far from the truth.

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

The track and skid pan already exist. The track is about 1km in length atm. Stage 2 will take it to over 2.5km but Gaz needs some$$$$$$$.

School kids have used the skid pan for there bikes already. Not really big enough for cars!!!!!!!

Not sure who will be using it as it is not the best venue. It will take time and $$$$$$$$

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 6 months later...

Hey guys.

I was privileged enough to be granted a sneak-peak of the new track, as a contributor to Circuit Club's magazine. The track is almost done, but it still needs some surfacing in some spots. The facilities aren't quite as done, but you could arguably start running events there if you had to. I think Garry's aim is to have the facility completely up and running in the next few months.

It's a tight 1km circuit on the side of a hill, and is designed to teach people how to control their cars rather than be a flat-out race track. My car is pretty big and heavy on most tracks, but it feels even fatter on this one.

It's not a race track, so you don't really get open days. There will be instructor lead training, but I suspect Garry will run some open "private practice" type days for people to just belt out laps.

The skid circuit at the bottom is a simple O loop, but will be sprinklered for those of us who don't want to shred our tyres while trying to drift.

3162172651_d8461c4ea6.jpg

That said, it's a really nice bit of blacktop, being very tricky and technical. It definitely looks like somewhere to teach someone who to drive/ride.

It also looks like a drifter's dream. It really reminds me of those dedicated drift circuits you see in Japan, with banked walls very close to the track and lots of tight curves. It's more a closed hillclimb/country road loop than anything else.

There's a video posted as well so you can get a better idea.

Clicky

Edited by scathing

so with all these tracks being owned by car clubs.... does that mean if everyone on sau made donations... we too could own a track?? does that mean all the ramblings of the other thread "nsw's best kept secret" may be actually come true if it wasnt for the negative nancy's that say it cant be done??

great to hear about a track finally near newcastle..

bump.

anyone have any more updates on these facilities?

Yep the Newcastle proposal was defeated in the Land and Environment court.

Port Stephens Council only cater for retiree's.

And yes...Stacey is a planner for Port Stephens Council...but unfortunately this application was out of her control. :D

Edited by DiRTgarage

i have to say it's hardly a 'new racetrack for nsw'. I mean you couldn't hold anything like the events that we used to have at oran park. so if they reckon this replaces oran park then that's bullshit. oran park had GP circuit which was great for races etc. south circuit which was ok, north circuit for drifting and karts. off road dirt track for rally practice. 4WD track for the 4WD freaks. motorcross track. and skid pan for driver training and drift practice. and it's like 4kms long. and they had a place that sells deep fried hotdogs and smokes. you could hardly say a tiny 1km driveway wide 'circuit' is a new race track. and it comes no where near to replacing the awesome facility we are losing. :D

BTW this is not directed at anyone in particular. just a general rant.

Yeah we weren't really happy about it either... the pictures on the website made it look long and bendy, I since think they've taken a corner of the Nurburgring and chucked it on there...

This is for driver training only, maybe a little drift, but it would be hard to cater for more then 20 cars...

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