Members of Bathurst Kart Club used a discussion forum on the proposed go-kart track to remind people of the benefits it would bring both to the sport and Bathurst.
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Secretary for the club, Steve Angelucci, opened the discussion forum as the first person speaking in favour of the proposal.
He said the purpose of the kart club, established around seven years ago, was to develop juniors, increase female participation and create an inclusive club.
Despite not having a circuit of its own yet, the club has already seen interest from people wanting to race at Bathurst and had to knock back events at all levels.
“An international circuit would allow us to run races with 400 entrants per event, plus support people, and we haven’t begun to count spectators or officials,” Mr Angelucci said.
Most of those visitors would need to pay for accommodation, petrol and food, helping to inject money back into the economy.
At a local level, the kart club and the track would give back to the community with affordable come-and-try days and grassroots events that could be the starting point for future high-profile drivers.
“It must be said that for the development of the Daniel Ricciardo and Simona De Silvestro of tomorrow, they need a facility to learn that trade,” Mr Angelucci said. “This circuit will be it.”
Mr Angelucci said that a go-kart track, built at Mount Panorama as per the proposed modification, would inevitably be another example of a self-sustaining Bathurst sporting facility.
“Bathurst Regional Council has shown time and time again that when they build sporting facilities, for example the hockey complex, the BMX track and the new football grounds, that can handle large-scale events, those facilities become self-sustaining, highly utilised and attract people to Bathurst,” he said.
“The amount of interest in this facility, both in Australia, the US and Europe, cannot be understated.”
Fellow karting club member Roberty ‘Stumpy’ Taylor, also a member of the Mount Panorama Second Track Action Group, echoed Mr Angelucci’s points.
Further to that, he reminded people that the wait for a go-kart track had been years and that the proposal to modify the track was itself more than two years old.
He said that any plans to build the go-kart track as part of the second circuit would delay the construction and completion of the track by years.
“Bathurst Kart Club could be waiting possibly five years or more for a local track if it were forced to go to the second track proposal,” Mr Taylor said.
“Then they will be at the behest of a commercial operator of that track to get access, which will come at a price for all competitors and club members.
“Go-karters will become a very distant second to a higher level of racing when it comes to accessing the circuit for events, let alone practice.”
Mr Taylor said that a development application to construct a 950 metre circuit on top of Mount Panorama was approved in 2015, so discussion had to move away from the location and instead to whether or not the design could be modified to be longer.
