Speedway stays on track despite complaints3 min read
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Waikaraka Park Speedway is undergoing a major transformation, with the goal of becoming one of the premier quarter-mile dirt tracks in the southern hemisphere.
An Auckland Council decision to consolidate speedway at Waikaraka Park, and allocate $11 million for critical work, saw the entire track upgraded and widened. This has aligned the speedway with modern standards, offering racers improved conditions to compete on an equal footing with professional international drivers. Banked corners now allow for more passing and exciting racing, and the redevelopment includes upgraded pit facilities, new floodlights and enhanced safety fencing.
The track, originally built in 1967, had not seen a significant upgrade since 1972.
Despite the improvements, Waikaraka Park Speedway has faced a rash of complaints this season, relating to noise, accessibility, fireworks, and track safety.
“We don’t know who or where the complaints are coming from, only that there have been more complaints received since November last year than in our last 58 years of operation combined,” says a Waikaraka Park Speedway spokesperson. “We take every complaint seriously and investigate each one.”
Auckland Council has confirmed it has received several complaints, including those for noise, accessibility, and fireworks. Firework displays are currently on hold until the correct resource consent is in place, with an application already lodged by the speedway.
Speedway operators are required to conduct noise control monitoring, and do this regularly for race days, finding their readings to be “consistently below the threshold,” says the spokesperson.
“Accessibility matters were a specific consideration under the building consent provisions that were overseen by the council, and all council accessibility requirements were met through the upgrade works,” says Manager Environmental Monitoring at Auckland Council, Robert Laulala.
Safety remains a key focus, with the redevelopment work meeting or exceeding Speedway New Zealand standards. Regular inspections by Speedway New Zealand are conducted before each event and annually as part of the licence renewal process.
The rise in complaints coincides with the closure of Western Springs Speedway, following Auckland Council decision in October to consolidate speedway at Waikaraka Park and fund necessary upgrades. The Western Springs Speedway Association is fighting this move and has lodged a High Court application for a judicial review. Before that review proceeds, the council will vote on the future of Western Springs on 31st March, after this edition goes to print.
Meanwhile, the team at Waikaraka Park Speedway is determined to remain focused on the future, which includes improved spectator facilities, and opening the venue for other community focused events.
“We’re working hard to make the venue great for everyone,” says the spokesperson. “We know change is hard, and there is more work to do, but we are focused on making Waikaraka a place motorsport people can call home.”
