THE installation of a unique cooling system to the Swan Hill drag racing track is underway, with the development at Chisholm Reserve expected to be complete in November.
The cooling system will regulate the temperature of the track and is set to be the only one of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
Work at the complex began in September last year, following the announcement of $2 million in funding from the Victorian Government.
Costing nearly $2.5 million in total, the concrete track is currently being laid, with some landscaping works also having begun.
Hidden within the first 120m of the concrete part of the track will be eight kilometres of tubing, attached to metal frames with 27,000 zip ties.
Water will be piped through the tubing from a dam, and will be warmed or cooled depending on the weather conditions at the time.
Swan Hill Drag Racing Club president Gary Rovere said there had been a significant interest in the project since construction had begun, including from the Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA).
Club members have been volunteering their time since construction of the concrete section of the track began, to install the cooling system.
“The installation has taken place after hours so the cooling system is ready for pour the next day,” Mr Rovere said.
“Also, we all come at night because we work during the day.
“When we did the first [cooling panel] we just thought: ‘what the hell have we done’.”
There will be 80 panels in total, with 100m of tubing attached to each, secured with more than 330 zip ties.
The next step in the process will see an 800m concrete wall put up between the track and the pit area.
Although the project was hoped to be completed in August, with races to be held towards the end of the year, that date has been pushed back to November.
“We were going to [finish earlier] but the racing surface they are trying to achieve is a new type of bitumen, you have got to have a warmer climate to lay it to achieve what they want to achieve,” Mr Rovere said.
“The process has been really good, the volunteers, the council, the council staff supervising us have been awesome and there is great enthusiasm from everyone involved.”
Once up-and-running the drag racing complex will be self-sufficient, with money from tickets and race entry fees to go back into the club.
Swan Hill Rural City Council Mayor Michael Adamson said the club volunteers had done an “outstanding job” so far.
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