And Autofest organisers are also looking at building a grandstand and other facilities to improve the Corowa airport site.

More than 13,000 people turned out at the weekend for the event, up 3000 on the previous year, despite a “trying start” due to the wet weather.

Organisers say Corowa airport will host its first drag racing meeting on the Anzac Day weekend.

Autofest operations manager Les Adams said the group would also meet stakeholders to work on infrastructure at the site for future Autofests and drag racing meetings.

They plan to call the airport site Corowa Aeropark Dragway.

“The venue is great — we’ll work with the community and council to build infrastructure, some more creature comforts, a grandstand and seating, and that kind of thing, maybe some camping facilities, over the next couple of years,” Mr Adams said.

“It’s going to be another big thing for Corowa.”

The plan comes after the petrol-head festival was tried at Albury and Wodonga in past years but moved to Corowa due to problems involving the burnout competition.

Mr Adams said Autofest, which last year injected about $1.5 million into the town’s economy, had the potential to become even bigger.

“There’s heaps of room for growth,” he said.

“Corowa’s ideal, there’s a lot of petrol-heads in this area, within a couple 100km radius of Corowa and it’s situated halfway between Melbourne and Sydney.

“Victoria is absolutely starved for drag racing and the only track in NSW is in Sydney.”

The festival finished yesterday with the blue ribbon drag racing event won by Howlong driver Mick Brody.

Drivers reached about 150kmh along the 200m runway track, the only crash was when a car glanced off a side barrier.

Drivers and spectators came from as far as South Australia and Queensland.

“The quality of vehicles and drivers was equal or the best I’ve seen,” Mr Adams said.

Editorial — page 12