Horses go, Horsepower stays

Release date: 04/03/2008 New state-of-the-art facilities will go ahead in time for the 2009 Clipsal 500 despite the South Australian Jockey Club deciding to permanently vacate Victoria Park Racecourse.

While the State Government’s commitment of a $20 million upgrade of temporary facilities will continue as scheduled – after plans for a permanent new grandstand and function centre were rejected by Adelaide City Council last year – the SAJC has decided it better to leave the inner-city track and invest elsewhere.

However, Clipsal 500 organisers have said the traditional V8 Supercar Championship Series season-opener will remain and will not be impacted, particularly in light of being named Australia's best event at the annual Australian tourism awards last week.

“The brand new temporary pit corporate facility is going ahead for next year’s Clipsal 500,” said event publicity manager Mike Drewer. “[SAJC leaving] won’t have any affect on the event; it won’t at any stage.”

Together with the Motor Sport Board of SA, the SAJC had wanted to redevelop the park to cater for both horse and motor racing industries. Despite the SAJC vacating the premises in a month’s time, Drewer added there was still no likelihood of permanent facilities being agreed to in the near future.

“There are no plans up. Once that was rejected some months ago, the Motor Sport Board [of SA] made its decision that there will be brand new state-of-the-art temporary facilities which will also include a resurfacing of the track as well. So those plans are now set in concrete and will go ahead and will be ready for next year’s event,” said Drewer.

It is understood that the SAJC, under its lease with the Adelaide City Council, will be required to remove its entire infrastructure from the premises except for the heritage-listed grandstand which will be preserved by the Council. With no plans to incorporate it with the Clipsal 500 event, hopes of a new circuit layout have been silenced.

The once-green horse racing track, which held its first horse race in 1846, has not been maintained and was noticeably affected by the Adelaide summer drought conditions at the 10th anniversary of the Clipsal 500 two weeks ago.

The council is expected to develop the surrounding Adelaide Parklands as an open space recreational area, and will not sell the land nor allow housing to be built on it in the near future.