With events like the V8 Supercars Winton SuperSprint in jeopardy the Benalla Auto Club Group has secured $3.35 million to resurface the deteriorated Winton Motor Raceway track.
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The track was in danger of falling out of line with international and Australian safety standards but with $1 million from the Victorian government and $2.25 million from their own coffers, the Benalla Auto Club Group have been able to start preliminary works to upgrade the track.
There won’t be any racing for a few months with the upgrade expected to be finished in early February.
Benalla Auto Club Group chief executive Chris Lewis-Williams said the most important thing now was to get the track operational.
“(This funding) displays the Victorian government’s recognition of Winton’s importance to regional Victoria,” he said.
The club will host a round of the Victorian State Circuit Racing Championships next year and are in negotiations for a contract extension with V8 Supercars with their current deal finishing in 2016.
Mr Lewis-Williams was not fazed by recent reports of the V8 series looking to run a street course in Geelong and whether it would impact the future of the Winton race.
He said there were a lot of street races already, with events in Adelaide, Townsville and Sydney.
Mr Lewis-Williams said the Victorian government should invest in infrastructure and not one-off events.
“An investment means for the whole year you bring people to the region and that's what the Winton track does,” he said. “It's not used for just one weekend but by the wider motoring community for the rest of the 51 weeks of the year.”
Northern Victoria MP Jaclyn Symes was at the Winton track on Friday to announce the government’s latest contribution.
She said the track had a “fair bit of wear and tear” and keeping their status as a raceway of choice for big events was vital for the economy of nearby towns.
”I grew up in Benalla and always knew when there was an event on in Winton because the motels would be full and you would go to get a counter meal at the pub and it’d be full,” she said.
Ms Symes said to generate tourism dollars permanent facilitates were better for regional towns.
“I’m very committed to destination points in regional Victoria that the whole region can build on to boost their economies,” she said.
Mr Lewis-Williams said they had an ongoing works program to improve and maintain their facilities in the next few years.
The Winton SuperSprint will be held May 20 to 22 and the Benalla Auto Club Group will announce the track’s major events calendar for next year this coming week.
