Ringwood Raceway proposed near Newcastle, NSW

[GT 160]

Apparently a new development application for a 2.9km circuit in the Port Stephens area has been re submitted.

http://www.ringwoodraceway.com.au/index.php?module=home

This will be a huge boost for the Newcastle, Port Stephens and Hunter Valley areas.

I believe the original plan by the previous owner was for a motorplex type setup but this was rejected due to wanting to run Top Fuel drag meets. The new application is apparently alot more council friendly.

Very interesting to see how this pans out.

[phillyc]

This has been ongoing for many years. At present there is a hillclimb circuit which is owned by the Newcastle MG Car Club.

I sincerely hope that this new proposal is succesful. It absolutely deserves to.

Within an hour and a half drive of the proposed development there are over 500,000 people. The business case stacks up and no government assistance is being sought.

[SteveJH]

I like it, and it looks well thought out, with the track being setup so that two 'short' tracks can run simultaneously.

[GT 160]

Originally Posted by phillyc

This has been ongoing for many years. At present there is a hillclimb circuit which is owned by the Newcastle MG Car Club.

I sincerely hope that this new proposal is succesful. It absolutely deserves to.

Within an hour and a half drive of the proposed development there are over 500,000 people. The business case stacks up and no government assistance is being sought.

I knew the MGCC had ties to the place but lets hope this new application is given the consideration it deserves and doesnt get shot down by the usual handfull of whingers that are hell bent on stopping any progress in the area.

[SteveJH]

Originally Posted by fitzwa

I knew the MGCC had ties to the place but lets hope this new application is given the consideration it deserves and doesnt get shot down by the usual handfull of whingers that are hell bent on stopping any progress in the area.

Who is complaining about it? It looks to be in the middle of nowhere?!?!

[cobramania]

Not sure exactly, but I'm pretty sure the last application was knocked back due to onsite parking, traffic in the area & the safety of the intersection with the Pacific Hwy, for traffic entering & leaving the circuit. Almost certain the RTA stopped the plans because they didn't want to upgrade the intersection & the developers didn't have the money to do it themselves (in the millions IIRC).
I don't think the actual events to be held had anything to due with it, other than the amount of traffic they would generate around the area. The knock back ruling went to court, I haven't heard the details of the outcome, but they obviously lost & have had to make changes. Bit more info is here http://www.mgcarclub.com.au/ringwood.htm

[Ben73]

I support this. Id look at buying a track day car if this track opened and allowed regular track days

[350125GO]

Looks like a half-decent circuit. Bit disappointing about the top fuel drag meets being a no go though.

[Kingsley]

Originally Posted by SteveJH

Who is complaining about it? It looks to be in the middle of nowhere?!?!

Probably the nine locals (or NIMBY's) in the area who turned up to the public meeting about the track at Raymond Terrace a few years back. The support for it at that meeting was overwhelming with numbers into the hundreds. The overwhelming support still didn't get approved.

[MR.BA.GT.332]

Originally Posted by BluFGXR6

Probably the nine locals (or NIMBY's) in the area who turned up to the public meeting about the track at Raymond Terrace a few years back. The support for it at that meeting was overwhelming with numbers into the hundreds. The overwhelming support still didn't get approved.

I was at the original town meeting many years ago when i used to live in Raymond Terrace. Still to this day i cannot believe it was knocked back, especially when i heard they were worried about the environmental impact the track would have and concerns about the racing fuels and oils etc i was dumbfounded.... if they wanted to look at an environmental impact, i used to work at the rock quarry right next door!!! there was an environmental impact!!!

Anyway, rant off.... i hope id goes ahead tho, would do the town good and hopefully this time port stephens council pulls their heads out of their..... well, you know.... they might see the light and realise they are on a good thing here with real money potential for the community.

If they had built this before i moved, i might not have moved considering would have been less than 10min from my house

[phillyc]

Originally Posted by BluFGXR6

Probably the nine locals (or NIMBY's) in the area who turned up to the public meeting about the track at Raymond Terrace a few years back. The support for it at that meeting was overwhelming with numbers into the hundreds. The overwhelming support still didn't get approved.

Yes it is in the middle of no-where but with the Pacific Hwy about 1km from the circuit. It is also under the flight path too.

Regarding the people living in the area, about a dozen homes built there in the 1970s without proper consent as it was not zoned for dwellings. From what I gather, they bought the land from an unscrupulous developer who sold 'rural building blocks'. The people then did what they thought they could do. ie Build. No further residential development is allowed there either.

A large part of the previous hold ups / cancellation of the circuit was the land and environment court. Effectively they were concerned about oil spills and fuel containment reaching the catchment area / freshwater dam. Hmm, 40,000 vehicles a day drive on the Pacific Hwy which abutts the dams periphery...

Also as rightly pointed out, the need for some sort of intersection / lights / traffic management plan and the RTA don't give two hoots about Newcastle Region. Only about themselves and to a lesser extent Sydney. Luckily they have been re-organised.

If people want action, then contact the / your local member both State and Federal and speak to councillors too.

Pushing the driver training, cycling events and lack of top fuellers will make the program more likely to get the go-ahead this time.

[phillyc]

Originally Posted by mr_460bigblock

I was at the original town meeting many years ago when i used to live in Raymond Terrace. Still to this day i cannot believe it was knocked back, especially when i heard they were worried about the environmental impact the track would have and concerns about the racing fuels and oils etc i was dumbfounded.... if they wanted to look at an environmental impact, i used to work at the rock quarry right next door!!! there was an environmental impact!!!

Anyway, rant off.... i hope id goes ahead tho, would do the town good and hopefully this time port stephens council pulls their heads out of their..... well, you know.... they might see the light and realise they are on a good thing here with real money potential for the community.

You beat me to the post by about 1min!

Originally Posted by mr_460bigblock

If they had built this before i moved, i might not have moved considering would have been less than 10min from my house

If this was built, I wouldn't have sold my motorbike at the beginning of the year!

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by phillyc

Within an hour and a half drive of the proposed development there are over 500,000 people. The business case stacks up and no government assistance is being sought.

If wikipedia is anything to go off, within a 1.5 hour drive of the track there would be about 800,000 people.
Either way its still going to service alot of people. I really don't want to drive all the way to Sydney to visit a race track. So to have this within a 30 minute drive would be great.

There are very few house around the area. The closest house is right near the corner of the Pacific highway and Italia rd. That would not be a quite area at all to start with.

[GT 160]

As with anything these days its the vocal minority that generally stuffs things for everyone.

[FGII-XR6]

Looks good. don't see how anyone can complain about noise or polution with the RAAF base so close. those hornets make a hell of a noise when taking off

[FPVGT500]

Thats what i like to hear not all this environment crap that we are going experience global warming and die in 20.7848383 years, Great to hear motorsport is still kicking

[AWD Chaser]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

Looks good. don't see how anyone can complain about noise or polution with the RAAF base so close. those hornets make a hell of a noise when taking off

You should try standing next to it when its in Afterburner...

[natedogg1986]

it was nocked back because of some tree frogs that lived where they wanted to build it. but at our last meeting at the track, tinkler has bought it. it either weay its gunna be built!!!!!

[tankclare]

OH MY GOD!....hope this is accepted. We definitely need a race track in the area. May be a 2 and a bit hour drive for me but beats going all the way to Sydney to race

[Luke Plaizier]

Regarding the environment - that track site was not that far from the Grahamstown Reserve Dam, which is the Water Supply to most of Newcastle, and even feeds parts of Wyong Shire. The track is also awefully close to the feeder stream that pumps water from Seaham Weir - you can see it running alongside the Italia road in the map.

I, too, want to see that track go ahead, and while I didn't participate at all last time, I'd certainly like to participate in voting to have it approved this time. But I'd be reluctant to do so if there were spills into the water supply that my children drink. The last thing I'd want is to participate in a sport that turned my kids into Mutants - I don't think I could be made any more mutant myself. Anti-environmentalists can suck my pinky on that one, my kids are important to me.

I reckon if it goes ahead, I'll turn my XR8 into a track car and join some of you guys.

What I REALLY hope it gets is a drag strip - there's a ready made market for drag racing in Newcastle, and would serve to get the weekend racers off Kooragang Island and posibly even off the Newcastle foreshore.


Lukeyson

[FPVGT500]

I love the sound of the hornets flying past

[GT 160]

Originally Posted by natedogg1986

it was nocked back because of some tree frogs that lived where they wanted to build it. but at our last meeting at the track, tinkler has bought it. it either weay its gunna be built!!!!!

Good ol Tinks.

I guess he wanted somewhere to pilot his Fezza California.

[SteveJH]

Originally Posted by fitzwa

Good ol Tinks.

I guess he wanted somewhere to pilot his Fezza California.

Bit late for that unless he's ordered another already.

Doesnt he have a Porsche cup car and an FPV GT Production race car?

[GT 160]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

Looks good. don't see how anyone can complain about noise or polution with the RAAF base so close. those hornets make a hell of a noise when taking off

Oh you'd be suprised.

The muppets knowingly buy a house next door to the RAAF base and are now seeking compensation due to the noise.

They think a few Hornets are noisy, wait till the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) arrives.

[GT 160]

Originally Posted by SteveJH

Bit late for that unless he's ordered another already.

Doesnt he have a Porsche cup car and an FPV GT Production race car?

I know he has a Porsche Cup car under the Tinkler Motorsport Group not sure about the FPV.

I have been told he owns an Aston Martin also just not sure what model.


Somehow i don't think Enzo Ferrari envisaged his cars ever being driven by someone so ummmm, rotund. Must wreak havoc with the vehicle dynamics.

[SteveJH]

He raced an FPV GT (5.4L) in the Bathurst 12 Hour race this year with Steven Johnson.

I think it was written somewhere at the time that he had a Miami GT on order but it didn't arrive in time to be race prepped?

[XRGhia]

Hmm.... Raceway in Newcastle....

I'd be all for it when it happens