RE: "Learn the lessons of destruction in Pilbara", letter, June 6.
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I've always loved the racing on Mount Panorama and always wanted a kart track in Bathurst.
I've raced karts at Oran Park and Mount Sugarloaf at Newcastle, and admired the tracks at Orange and Lithgow.
The proposed kart track design for the top of Mount Panorama is flat; no elevation change. Boring.
All the good circuits, karts, cars and bikes, have elevation changes, the track working the contours, another whole dimension that the current proposition neglects.
Mount Pan itself, the old Catalina Park (a salient example, re: indigenous issues), Amaroo, Oran Park, Wakefield Park and even Eastern Creek have elevation changes, as do the Lithgow and Orange kart circuits.
The $52 million second track site has ample opportunities for much more interesting circuits, which would be integrated with second circuit track and infrastructure, driver, kart and racing training and industries, accommodation, cafes and restaurants, other entertainments and industries.
Over the decades, locals have steadily lost access to more and more of the Mount and environs to exclusive use by gun clubs (three, surely an anachronism in town), bicycle clubs, motocross, archery, Vietnam Vets MCC, and now this private kart club planning to alienate at least half of McPhillamy Park, according to their plans.
Bathurst Kart Club does not "deserve" public land and money because the club has wanted it for so long.
Members of the club have their own land and money. Build it yourselves or integrate with the second track.
