Is Eastern Creek actually burning a hole in taxpayers pockets??

I think you'll find that the Eastern Creek complex is booked solid nearly every day of the week for all sort of events including driver training.

It's also on a long term lease to the Australian Racing Drivers Club who operate and maintain the facility not the NSW government.

A well planned and designed motorsports complex could be a boom for the area, not only could it be booked for driver training and the like but events can be run that attract competitors from outside the area who will need a bed, food & fuel all of hich helps the local economy.

Has Cr Fergusson ever been to a club/state level race track?

They are generally, low-cost, low-maintenance and highly used!

We need more of these facilities to get the young racers off the road and on to safe, controlled race tracks.

I also note that it is CAMS that is developing the track i.e. paid for by CAMS members and not taxpayers.

Of course the council will be against this and make up any stupid unbelievable excuse why THEY don't want it. How about putting it out to the community and letting them have as say for once instead of telling us what we need. Like the stupid jail thats has don't nothing for the community and the rediculous community housing stuff up. This track would be fantastic for the area. How stupid of Cr Fergusson to think we don't want it or it wouldn't get used. Cr Fergusson look out your window how about the entertainment centre???????? 100s of people would use the racetrack. It would put the shoalhaven back on the map for the good reasons. Instead of being know as the dumping ground. A bloke once said to me how could i live in the shoalhaven its just like redfern. YER TOP STUFF COUNCIL the shoalhaven is well know for your screw ups that should be good for tourism.

Great idea for this area, specially if it is not beeing funded by taxpayers,and at the same time giving all.... racers a chance to enjoy their sport in a controlled and safe environment.......cmon wowsers give us fair go

There is always a prude councilor that with no knowledge will comdemn something with true potential. The opportunity to get speed of the streets, provide driver training for learner drivers and support a legitimate sporting industry aren't appealing to some. Its time for positive action in the shoalhaven not conservatism.

We have one of the worst history's for road deaths contributing to speed and young drivers on the south coast. This all comes from young keen drivers that have no where to go but the street which endangers everyone else, I personaly have been a member CAMS for years which comes at a cost which I personally cover each year, also paying an entrant fee for the actual events,most of this funding goes to keeping these race tracks alive for people such as ourselves and the enthusiasts,it also Goes to Paying the Rates Each Year Which is Not Government funded. Its ok for Manyana to Have a Motorcsross Track for Motorcycles, why cant we have a race track for cars, it only opens up job oppurtunities for Locals and also gives the young enthusiasts somewhere to go and learn the capabilites of themselves and their Vehicles which will only make them more compertant on the road.There are thousands of us in the shoalhaven that would take advantage of a local Race track and tats not to mention the fans That come From everywhere else which would only boost Local economy.

Cr Fergusson should open his eyes as his comments are as intelligent as an ashtray on a motorcycle. A local racetrack for Nowra is the best idea in a long time. The local area would greatly benefit from such a venue both financially and socially.

I recently viewed the proposed track layout on a local karting website (http://www.shkb.com.au/kart_track_for_shoalhaven.aspx), it looks fantastic and in my opinion and will be even better than Eastern Creek.

Bring it on ASAP !!

Cr Fergusson should pull his head out of his bum and go up there on a big race meet to see how popular it really is. not to mention the hundreds of people including myself who use the dragstrip every Wednesday night to race legally and safely. there was an event i attended last year called World Time Attack Challenge where numerous racers and cars came from USA and Japan. they were so impressed by the whole event that they're coming back early this year with many more of their fellow competitors and even people from Europe. this little burning hole Mr councilor is now world known because of the one event and the people want more. come on Gareth Ward take control and get NOWRA out of a burning hole and have something here that doesn't benefit just the council.

Eastern Creek doesn't work? Tell that to the thousands of club and state level drivers who use the place every weekend. And the ad agencies, driver trainers, corporate sponsors having drive days almost any day of the week.

Methinks Cr Ferguson is refering to V8 Supercars and its inability to attract crowds to the venue. And its wank value to politicians and councillors basking in reflected glory in the light of TV cameras.

Eastern Creek is a good circuit but last time I was there (about 5 years ago) the place was next door to the worst stinking refuse collection depot of all time. Not to mention the burning spectator hill that had literally been on fire for a couple of years, caused by the company that supplied the so-called clean fill to build it actually using organic material for land fill causing spontaneous combustion and adding to the already stinking atmosphere.

Cr Ferguson, I suggest you take those factors into consideration and before dropping the cluch on the mouth make sure the brain is in a forward gear.

Eastern creek omly looks like a bad prospect because the V8's don't go there. They also don't go to a lot of other tracks now because the money is in the event on street tracks. This is not what the Nowra track will be for. It will be a club racing track, Kart track and community track. This seems like it is not worth building then but that is where most car racers are. Club race days happen all over the country every weekend and they are always looking for now places to go. Between Kart clubs and carclubs the track would be used every weekend from Friday to Sunday and be boked up for 2 years in advance. This is where the town would make money. Most Car and kart races attract about 100 -200 entries. Each entrant has about 2 -3 other people with them. The maths stacks up when you know that all of these people have to eat, sleep and buy things for 3 days while they are there. It doesn't take long to work out how much a track like this can be worth to a ciy like Nowra. Sure there may be big events throughout the year as well which would be major bonuses as well, but the regular requirements of club racers is where the good steady redular money is. Then there is the Corporate money?