Motocross track work well under way with first signs of development at long-awaited Albany Motorsport Park

The Albany Motorsport Park’s long-awaited start of construction has been celebrated by the project’s key stakeholders this week. Work on the park’s first element, a 2.4km motocross track, started in December following the City council awarding the contract for its construction to Phoenix Civil Civil & Earthmoving at a special meeting in November. Great Southern Motorplex Group chair Theo Newhouse said he expected the clay and sand-based track to be completed in July. When completed, it will be the first time the Albany Motorcycle Club has had a dedicated home track in more than a decade. “We had some of the guys from the club out on site on Tuesday morning to have a look at it,” he said. “We were able to show them that it really is happening and it’s starting to take shape so that we can keep their enthusiasm up.” Phoenix has also been contracted to construct the park’s four-wheel-drive driver training and ATV precinct, which is being carried out along with the work on the motocross track. The design of the park’s final element, a 3.25km racetrack and its associated precinct, is about 80 per cent complete, according to Mr Newhouse, and could be finished within the next month. “The firms doing the design submitted it to Motorsport Australia and Motorcycling Australia for their feedback in December,” he said. “We’ve received that feedback now, which has been very positive and helpful and is being considered now to be incorporated into the design.” Albany Mayor Dennis Wellington said people had been working on getting the project off the ground for “years and years and years”. He said it would be a big boost in terms of attracting visitors to the region and also giving local enthusiasts another place to go. “It’s a place for people to go rather than motorbikes, for example, using some of the back tracks,” he said. “It’ll be a fantastic addition to our facilities and something I think will be treasured.” More than two decades of campaigning culminated in the council officially granting the GSMG a 20-year community lease for the Drome property where the park is being developed last July. It came after approval for the project was granted by the Regional Joint Development Assessment Panel in February following sections of the community raising concerns about the park’s impact on the environment. “You can face that quite a bit because some people don’t like the development where it is,” Mr Wellington said. “It’s passed all of the hurdles now and we’re making sure that we pass all the environmental hurdles as we go along.” The project is jointly funded by contributions from the Federal (about $5 million) and State governments ($5.75m) as well as the City of Albany. O’Connor MHR Rick Wilson said Albany was a “motorsport hotspot” and he was proud to be part of the former Coalition government that committed funds to the project through the Building Better Regions Fund. “Having a master-planned facility on the outskirts of town will increase visitation to the Lower Great Southern and provide more recreational options for the people of Albany,” he said. “Given that motocross has been without a home in Albany for several years now, I am rapt that the GSMG will give the sport pole position at the park by developing a motocross track early, along with an area for the 4WD community.” Albany MLA Rebecca Stephens said she was thrilled work had finally started. “The Albany Motorsport Park will be a huge economic boost for Albany by attracting competitors and spectators from around WA and it will fill a recognised need for a multi-use motorsports facility in the Great Southern,” she said. “The facility could also be the host to national and international events, providing a further boost to tourism and local business.” Mr Newhouse said it had been a big process to get the project to this point and it was great to see key stakeholders come together to celebrate its progress at a sundowner this week. “It’s rewarding to see machinery at work on site at the moment,” he said.