COUNCIL is on the verge of handing over Swan Hill’s drag strip facility to the local club but the club will need to continue to build infrastructure before any race meetings are officially called.
The Swan Hill Rural City Council (SHRCC) have held up their end of the bargain and delivered the strip itself and it will now be up to the Swan Hill Drag Racing Club (SHDRC) to raise enough to capital to install extra facilities and get it up to national standards, despite being warned of the risks of hosting such an event.
The Guardian understands a toilet block, a state-of-the-art timing system and fencing will need to be included at the Chisholm Park reserve site before a race day is even discussed.
In August, 2013, Swan Hill Drag Racing president Gary Rovere told The Guardian he had been given written assurances a national event would be staged at the track.
“It’s going to be included on the national calendar the instant a completion date is on the track,” he said at the time.
Despite this claim, Australian National Drag Racing Association Limited (ANDRA) completion manager Brett Stevens revealed there is a risk and precautions had to be taken when staging a national event in the city of Swan Hill.
“Basically there is a cost associated in getting a national event, so obviously for a small club there is a financial risk so they need to be in a position to take that risk,” he said.
“What we would look at is not bringing all categories in the short term, but again, it is a financial risk.
“At this stage we are working through the process to get the facility signed off to an international standard. We would hope that in the next couple of months we will be able to present them with a licence to race, we are reviewing it at the moment.
“It is a realistic option in the future, everything we have seen so far from the parties involved in building it, the track will meet the standards. As soon as the club is ready to be involved in that level, we would welcome the area.”
