MOTORSPORT: Calder Park returns to circuit racing
Big track and facilities upgrade to see Calder Park return to circuit racing after 20-year hiatusAfter a prolonged spell in limbo, Melbourne’s Calder Park Raceway is rising from the ashes, with the venue set to return to the local circuit racing scene in 2023.
Now under the watch of Rodney and Kim Jane, long-term plans have been put in place that will see the facilities enjoy an overdue refresh, including sanctioning from bodies such as Motorsport Australia in line with modern safety standards.
The Jane family has also noted a desire to repave and extend the road circuit, plus rebuild the garages and develop a standalone drag strip.
Early works, including sections of fresh painting, are visible around the facility.
Calder Park last hosted top-flight circuit racing in 2001, when Paul Morris was victorious from Supercars’ most recent visit to the venue.
The venue, which hosted the Australian Grand Prix on five occasions in the early 1980s, has been returning to life as host to an expanded grassroots motorsport offering, focused on drifting and track days, plus low-key rider and driver training events.
A sign of the growth of interest in the venue, Drive Events hosted a second public track day on the combined 4.2km-long Thunderdome and national circuit on Australia Day, with competitors noting the decent condition of the main road circuit.
While the high-banked Thunderdome was in reasonable condition for track day users, a return to the days of full-blown NASCAR and AUSCAR competition is not on the immediate agenda.
Drag racing returned to the facility in November, with regular meets now held on the repaved quarter-mile strip, which is overlooked by a renewed spectator area, featuring a significant quantity of seating.
In the context of the Victorian motorsport scene, the recommissioning is important, especially with the long-term future of Sandown Raceway still under question, despite a pro-Sandown board being recently installed by the venue’s owner, the Melbourne Racing Club.
Key dates for Calder’s rejuvenated circuit racing offering include August 12-13 for the AASA-sanctioned Victorian Motor Racing Championships, October 28-29 for the Motorsport Australia-sanctioned Victorian State Circuit Racing Championships, and November 25-26 for the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series.
Elsewhere in circuit news, the New South Wales state Labor opposition has pledged to develop a plan to reopen Wakefield Park if successful in the upcoming state election.
Since September 2022 following a ruling by the NSW Land and Environment Court, the venue has been closed due to strict noise restrictions.
Labor has pledged $1 million to implement sound mitigation measures.
The announcement follows in the footsteps of South Australia, where Peter Malinauskas swept to power with the revival of the Adelaide 500 one of his key election promises.
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