Wakefield Park closes
Wakefield Park Raceway, the circuit near Goulburn in NSW that’s been a popular stop on the Australian Superbike Championship calendar since 2016, has closed until further notice.
Announced on 29 August, the closure is due to a ruling by the NSW Land and Environment Court in July regarding noise restrictions at the 2.2km regional track that limited operations to just 30 days per year. This was less than half of what the circuit’s owners, the Benalla Auto Club, were seeking.
Additionally, under the terms of the NSW LEC ruling, the circuit couldn’t be used for any other related purpose once those 30 days were filled, so track days, club and corporate events, rider training and defensive driver training courses would be regarded as “events” in the same way a race meeting would.
Essentially, the ruling meant the privately owned and run circuit couldn’t be used for any motoring-related activity for 335 days of the year. Obviously, that wasn’t commercially viable, so circuit owners and management made the reluctant decision to cease all activity at the track, effective from 1 September, 2022, until a resolution can be found.
A statement issued by the Benalla Auto Club made it clear they hope to resume normal operations at some point in the future, but put the onus on the NSW State Government to assist them in achieving that.
The Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) has been the highest profile two-wheel series to race at Wakefield, first going there in 2004 when the circuit was just a decade old. Since 2016, ASBK has been going there annually, including this year, and even managed to hold rounds at Wakefield during the COVID-interrupted seasons of 2020 and 2021.
Given that Wakefield Park generates an estimated $25 million in income annually for Goulburn and the region, some hope remains of activity returning to the track, but a change in the ruling from the NSW LEC would have to come first. Ironically, the same court approved a proposal last year to upgrade facilities at the circuit, albeit under stringent conditions, but that was rejected by Goulburn Mulwaree Council.
The loss of Wakefield Park leaves just one permanent racing circuit in NSW, Sydney Motorsport Park.
The full statement from the Benalla Auto Club regarding the closure is as follows:
The Benalla Auto Club has taken the difficult decision to cease all activity at Wakefield Park Raceway from 1 September 2022 until further notice.
Circuit management, along with the Benalla Auto Club committee, have come to the unfortunate conclusion that continued operation under the current conditions – in which the circuit cannot operate for more than four days a month – is simply not commercially feasible.
Benalla Auto Club Group General Manager Stephen Whyte said the staff at Wakefield Park and the greater Benalla Auto Club Group have been the primary consideration during the current turbulent period.
“Our biggest priority has been ongoing consultation and discussion with our loyal and hard-working team of staff, who are those most affected by the ceasing of circuit operations,” Mr Whyte said.
“Unfortunately, we cannot operate economically under the current restrictions, which has left us with no alternative but to cease all activity at the track.”
“Further reaching will be the economic loss to Goulburn and the surrounding community”.
Mr Whyte affirmed the BAC’s commitment to reaching a solution to the current plight.
“We remain committed to Wakefield Park and we will continue to work with the Goulburn Mulwaree Council and our stakeholders. We need NSW State Government assistance to find a pathway forward for Wakefield Park,” he concluded.
Photos: Russell Colvin