Car groups from across the region are getting behind a push to develop the decommissioned Country Fire Authority Fiskville training site into a state of the art motorsport facility.
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Motoring enthusiasts are gathering in Ballan tomorrow night to show support for the proposal which was officially endorsed by the Moorabool Shire Council at a meeting in October.
Following the meeting the group is expected to form a committee to assist council with lobbying efforts to secure funds needed to develop the site. The CFA and state government are currently involved in an $80 million clean-up effort.
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Event organiser and Ballarat Light Car Club member Stuart Hocking said the project was “at the point where they need the backing from the people to really help carry that momentum”.
“I’ve seen the support these other tracks are getting and the fact the light car club has been campaigning for one for such a long time,” Mr Hocking said. “The Ballarat council were trying but that hasn’t really gone anywhere and now that Moorabool have put their hand up for it we want to show our support.”
At the October meeting councillors voted to develop a formal business case for the 146-hectare site. Predictions from a Ballarat City Council study into a potential motorsport precinct found a multi-purpose facility which would be fit to host V8 Supercar races would cost at least $35 million.
In November the Mildura Rural City Council unveiled its business case for stage one of the Mildura Motor Sports and Community Precinct to state government, asking for $21 million.
Moorabool Shire mayor Paul Tatchell, who will attend the meeting, said while the council believed the facility would be great for economic growth, it was critical motor sport groups played a prominent advocacy role.
“We want to know how important it would be to give them an accessible facility which can go across all genres of motor sport,” Cr Tatchell said. “I want to hear from them all and I wan’t them to help drive it.”