Oran Park Closure

[rpz00m]

Sydney's urban sprawl once again impinges on motor sport with the announcemant that Sydney's premier motor racing circuit is to be closed.

As reported in Friday's 10 December 2004 Sydney Daily Telegraph land owned by the Leppington Pastoral Company has been rezoned for residential purposes. The Telegraph said "the Northern Road farm ... will ... make way for an estimated 21000 homes. Also to be demolished will be the Oran Park motor racing track which they own."

My family has spent many great weekends at watching the the ATCC and subsequent V8 supercars at this venue which is one of few in Australia where the general public can see most of the tarck and action from the picturesque vantage points.

Maybe Tony C at AVESCO should take up a petition, or are they prepare to let Australia's largest city be reduced to one motor-racing circuit.

[stonebrosfan]

The owners told me at last years round they will be gone within 3 years, but they will be building another track somewhere in the area

[wayno]

Unfortunately urban sprawl is a problem that will continue to claim our racing circuits. Oran Park has been on the cards for this for quite a while. Unfortunately private circuit owners can't compete with the money offered by these housing companies as it seems the circuits just don't generate enough cash to stave off the advances made.
I'm fully expecting Calder Park to vanish in the future as well. Anyone who knows the area around this circuit will know it is starting to get built in by housing and I feel it is just a matter of time.
It will be sad to see Oran Park go.

[anon]

I chased this story up about 12 months ago. Bad news is we will be loosing one of the best spectator tracks on the country, with years of History. Oran Park has seen some great racing.

The good news is that we will be getting a brand new circuit not too far from the current Oran Park site. I dont want to get into the poo (but word may already be out) but I know where it is.

a clue is in this song "I'm leaving on a jet plan, dont know when I'll be back again"

[KiwiRallyFan]

Originally posted by anon
A clue is in this song "I'm leaving on a jet plane, dont know when I'll be back again"
I think you could come up with a very nice circuit using all the runways and taxiways at Sydney airport. Closing it for three days might be a bit of a problem though!

[holden_on]

if this is true why the new pit complex (bathurst also has a new complex is this going to get killed) in regards to a new place i hope its still close to here as im 20 minutes drive and 30 minutes to the creek and 1.5 hours to heaven (the mountain) but goulburn would be nice or is this still to close for to the aivery for howard.:(

[Haza]

we better not lose another sydney round in the SC.

How bout in the mean time while the new track is being built, we have a street curcuit somewhere near homebush or something like that.

[wayno]

From what I understand a race around the Homebush area has been talked about in the past. From what I understand the area is not really used that much and a street race wouldn't cause that much disruption. Something to think about I suppose.

[moxo]

Oran Park was rezoned for medium-density housing a few years ago. The Leppington Pastoral Company bought the land in the mid-80s for housing anyway - we've had a good long reprieve.

The new pit building is fully demountable, don't you worry 'bout that.

And the Badgery's Creek area would be ideal - midway between Liverpool and Penrith, easy to get to from the bulk of Sydney's population. Just hope they make it so that cars can pass there - not like Eastern Creek. That's if I take the hint right.

I have heard the Perich family (Leppington Pastoral Co and Pura Milk) owns plenty of land - between them and the Fairfaxes most of the blocks of dirt between Narellan and Penrith, in a strip either side of the Northern Road.

It will be sad to see it go, but nothing is forever (except herpes)


Bruce Moxon

[anon]

What's one place, close to the current circuit, where you could build a race circuit a be certain that urban sprawl will never touch it and noise will never be a problem? Maybe right next door to Sydneys second International airport?

[spoonster05]

It will be sad to see Oran Park go but I only hope that the new circuit they build actually has some character and is a real drivers circuit..

[Haza]

they should build a curcuit like the shanghai track and then they could bring the F1's to Sydney also.

hehehe

[Y2kGoofball]

well Oran Park has been talked about for a while now, and it seems we're drawing to a close

Homebush Bay has been discussed. I have to go to a few Olympic related offices around the area, such as paralympics organisatione tc (who have their offices setup around Homebush) and the place once sprawling with thousands of people has become the deadest place on earth. All thats there now is the occasional football game, but the surrounding area is just massive stretches of 2 laned road, which looks like a perfect drag strip

As for the Park well I'll be upset, the first race I ever saw was at Oran Park, still remember it today

I also had the chance of doing some hot laps around there, not in a V8 but in a Daewoo (as a charity thing)

[wayno]

Originally posted by Haza
they should build a curcuit like the shanghai track and then they could bring the F1's to Sydney also.

hehehe
Wash your mouth out! :eek:

[Commodore]

I reckon Homebush (as in Olympic Park) would be good because there are nice wide streets there and they're fairly straight. Also, V8 Supercars are televised around the world so people from overseas will see the absolute wonder we have built and want to come to Australia to see it (ie good for tourism).

Just what I think.

Cheers.

[dobct1]

Originally posted by wayno
Unfortunately urban sprawl is a problem that will continue to claim our racing circuits. Oran Park has been on the cards for this for quite a while. Unfortunately private circuit owners can't compete with the money offered by these housing companies as it seems the circuits just don't generate enough cash to stave off the advances made.
I'm fully expecting Calder Park to vanish in the future as well. Anyone who knows the area around this circuit will know it is starting to get built in by housing and I feel it is just a matter of time.
It will be sad to see Oran Park go.

i suppose the recent high house and property prices along with low interest rates and high consumer confidence causing high demand for residential housing and property would of placed extra pressure on the land owners to want to develop the area for housing alot quicker in order to cash in on the bullish property market at the moment

[singer]

It was only a matter of time. Think about all the other circuits which have closed in places which used to be Rural. The most recent one I can think of is Amaroo Park (Where I did my racecraft & advanced Driver traing with Allan Grice over 20 years ago)

The there the one which the Singer car club used to use which was a used airstrip (South West of Sydney)

The Sydney Speedway.

I used to live in a solely rural environment. Now the properties (1, 800 acre & 2 600 acre sheeps properties, when the rates became to high to remain a going concern) either side of me have been subdived.

As I have an outside job, it doesn't have that much of an effect yet. But, when I retire, it'll be a different matter.

[holden_on]

well 1 of the members lives almost on an ex grand prix track which is now a diss-used pushbike circuit ,the old air stip was this castlreigh and when i first went to the speed way it was in liverpool now it's the main route between eastern creek & oran park &for the speedway fans newcastle was a great track as the racing came all the way to the walls the same as liverpool but as soon as the ex pcr owner sold it (closed):mad:

[singer]

It was Oran Park which was started by the Singer Car Club :mad:

[mikeauxr6]

Very Sad Indeed great track.I am sure there are way to many Horse Racing tracks in prime land that could go first.

[mick78]

It is a shame that we accept the closure of another iconic venue. There is a lot of history there going back to 1962. Moffat, Beechey, Bob Jane, the Geoghegans. Also Tasmans series, the 1977 Australian Grand Prix. And just like that - another venue replaced by hideous McMansions.

Oran Park is simply a great place to watch motor sport. I know that parking and car access is hopeless, but when you consider the money that is coughed up for suburbam footy grounds and their facilities you would think that Oran Park could get a slice of the action from State and Federal Govts. Perhaps if it had a large licensed club with a few battalions of poker machines it could be saved.


I shudder to think what a replacement circuit would be like, a dry characterless dust bowl with no imagination and a flawed layout like Eastern Creek and Willowbank. No doubt Tony Cochrane has a replacment round lined up in Uzbekistan for the V8s in 2007.

[mick78]

Originally posted by singer
It was only a matter of time. Think about all the other circuits which have closed in places which used to be Rural. The most recent one I can think of is Amaroo Park (Where I did my racecraft & advanced Driver traing with Allan Grice over 20 years ago)

The there the one which the Singer car club used to use which was a used airstrip (South West of Sydney)

The Sydney Speedway.

I used to live in a solely rural environment. Now the properties (1, 800 acre & 2 600 acre sheeps properties, when the rates became to high to remain a going concern) either side of me have been subdived.

As I have an outside job, it doesn't have that much of an effect yet. But, when I retire, it'll be a different matter.


I did Alan Grice driver training at Amaroo in 1984. It was one of the most enjoyable days I have ever had at a race track. I hope yours was fun too.

[Kiwiracing]

Seems to be a demise of good racing venues both here and back home in NZ, when I was there last week they were sound testing Western Springs Speedway track and it seemed to be failing, going over the 85Db of the council regulations, Sprint (TQ's midgets etc) cars have been a part of Auckland’s heritage for over 50 years I believe. The greenies and the locals up in arms. Now instead of thirty odd cars in a race they can now only really run 7-8!!!!

Most of the Kiwi guys will (may - depends how old you are) remember, Levin, Baypark, maybe even Ardmore, circuits now long gone, Pukekohe will eventually be added to that list.

Here's their Web Site (http://www.springsspeedway.com/default,393.sm) .

Maybe the V8's could go around Homebush, they could even open up one end of the main stadium and have a fantastic chicane in the middle:D

Cheers
Kiwiracing

[dwarfs]

Originally posted by Kiwiracing
[/URL] .

Maybe the V8's could go around Homebush, they could even open up one end of the main stadium and have a fantastic chicane in the middle:D

Cheers
Kiwiracing
i would like to see the council / mayor aprove that !!!!:eek:

never happen

cheers

[Kiwiracing]

Originally posted by dwarfs
i would like to see the council / mayor aprove that !!!!:eek:

never happen

cheers

It was a joke:D

Cheers
Kiwiracing

[dwarfs]

Originally posted by Kiwiracing
It was a joke
Cheers
Kiwiracing
i know its a joke:p
but just think what the council/mayor would say if you aked if you could go ahead with this, i dont think you would be able to finish the first sentence without being told NO:D

cheers

[wayno]

A race around the Homebush precinct has been discussed in the past. With bald headed Tonys fondness for street races I wouldn't be surprised if this one raises it's head up again in the future.

[arthur]

Street racing around Homebush is nothing new, .....aah Homebush bay, location of the "Brickies" 1/4 mile.....spent many a Sunday night down there in my misgiuded youth ;)

[john]

I have been to watch V8's at Oran Park over the past 2 seasons, and must admit i wasn't very impressed with the facilities. I remember thinking, why dont they spend some money on this joint?...... now I know why, it was planned for the scrap heap. Hey, if we get rid of several other Ambrose dominated tracks, like Oran Park, perhaps us Holden fans might have something to cheer about again!