Homebush... Gone....!!!

[GTRMagic]

Story Here

Now while the McKay household might be jumping with joy, this is a very bad call... Mr McKay's Story Here

Originally Posted by The Article

Despite being the highest drawing sporting event in NSW last year, V8 powerbrokers have given up on Homebush following talks with State Government officials.

And the Homebush precinct again becomes home to tumbleweeds for 49 weekends a year

Bad bad call...

[Tourer]

Still, it IS a James Phelps story and he is not well known for his accuracy (something that he shares with Mr McKay).

Further down in the story the quotes suggest that Homebush is a 50/50 proposition so we wait and see I guess.

[Casper]

Originally Posted by Tourer

Further down in the story the quotes suggest that Homebush is a 50/50 proposition so we wait and see I guess.

The whole story sounds like a concerted attempt to blackmail the government to make a decision that keeps the status quo in play and gives the promoter an extra million in funding to help the P&L line. I have two problems with that..

If it is such a good thing then the promoter does not need extra money

The decision is not 50/50 as stated and TC is using public lobbying and fora like these to try and influence the decision

In fact I think that the decision will have been made back when the EC improvement program was given the go ahead and was one of the prime reasons it was given the go ahead. The government always wanted Homebush as a motor race gone and one of the legitimate ways to do that so the promoters could not argue was to improve EC and tell them that they had a track so they had better go and use it.

TC of course has had his favorite rattle taken away from him so he throws a tantrum and takes a leaf out of Eccletone's book and decides to do some lobbying/blackmail by media which is never a good thing as politicians never react well to that sort of thing.

I have a question as I haven't been out to EC this year, has the new circuit resolved any problems for the spectators so they can see more?

[david5]

Thank goodness, street races dying a natural death, you can only move the deck chairs on the Titanic so many times.

[formerf1champ]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

this is a very bad call

In what context, is it a bad call?

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

And the Homebush precinct again becomes home to tumbleweeds for 49 weekends a year

Is this actually a big deal to people who live in the area, or Sydney as a whole? The precinct was developed to serve one purpose, that happened 12 years ago. The fact other sports or entities try to take advantage of the remnants is merely incidental.

If the "event" goes, is anyone going to really miss it? The track was overrated , the event was overrated, the notion of a "Grand Finale" was overrated (European soccer leagues have a longer off-season).

[cptkablamo]

I can't blame either the Queensland or NSW governments pulling the funding from the Sydney or GC rounds. Both are trying to save money, pulling funding from all kind of events.
The truth to the matter is neither event has any luster, particularly the Gold Coast event which is barely a shadow of its former self, no matter what the V8s say.
We will just wait to see if the ball sports suffer the same as the arts and motorsport is and may do under the state governments.

[one five five]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

And the Homebush precinct again becomes home to tumbleweeds for 49 weekends a year

Bad bad call...

I'm sure the businesses based in there wouldn't attest to there being any 'tumbleweeds' floating around..... and if there are tumbleweeds still floating around, then the V8 race hasn't really done much for Homebush then has it, so why wouldn't it be scrapped??

one less street and a good chance of another permanent circuit being added to the calendar (Eastern Creek)....Good good call

[mayhem]

[QUOTE=GTRMagic;3073408
And the Homebush precinct again becomes home to tumbleweeds for 49 weekends a year

Bad bad call...[/QUOTE]


Umm, while Im all for a Homebush race, Im wondering which 49 weekends of the year you're talking about? The Royal Easter Show, the NRL GF, the Soundwave Music festival (huge), Big Day Out (huge) Endless Summer Music festival, State of Origin (granted not a weekend), a myriad of music concerts, NRL most weekends, AFL as well, Motorex. Point is, it aint no ghost town...

[GTRMagic]

From The Daily Telegraph Editor, Neil Breen

Originally Posted by The Article

Get with the Homebush program
The Sunday Telegraph
May 13, 2012 12:00AM

IF Premier Barry O'Farrell wants to make good on his promise to make NSW number one for events, he has to grasp the importance of Homebush.

NSW is about to lose the Sydney 500 V8 supercar race, with organisers fearing Queensland or another country is about to snatch the event away -- just as Victoria is attempting to grab a State of Origin game.

The 3.4km race that winds its way around Sydney Olympic Park with top speeds of 248km/h was the highest-drawing sporting event in NSW last year.

It is just one of the vibrant exciting events enlivening Sydney Olympic Park at Homebush, which is close to the geographical centre of the city and, unlike much of Sydney, is serviced by first-class public transport.

The people of NSW have fallen in love with Homebush, despite predictions during the 2000 Olympics that it was doomed to be a white elephant.

It's the chosen venue for this weekend's Prince concerts. It is a venue that suits anything from music to sport to the Royal Easter Show, which has blossomed at Homebush despite the warnings of doomsayers when it left the city.

It's been the very comfortable home of the Sydney 500 V8 supercar race since 2009, attracting more than half a million spectators in that time.

So why isn't NSW fighting to keep the V8s at Homebush beyond the five-year contract's expiration?

It drew 172,000 spectators last year. Surely that figure alone is enough to guarantee the V8s' future at Homebush. Petrolheads from around the nation love it.

The local frogs and environmentalists might not like the noise -- but that is why Homebush was built as a discreet, contained site. The whole point was to create a site where noisy, smelly, boisterous events could be held at a safe distance from residential areas.

It's said Mr O'Farrell has reservations about the event because the Sydney 500 was secured by the disgraced Labor minister Ian MacDonald. Maybe the Premier doesn't like the smell of burning rubber and the roar of engines.

It's time to stop and smell the petrol. Homebush should be the home of Australia's premier events.

That's not from James Phelps...

[Shane001]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

the highest-drawing sporting event in NSW last year.

It drew 172,000 spectators last year.[/url]

Someone needs to point out to these journalists that this is gate numbers over 3 or 4 days, with most of these repeat attendees. So divide that figure by at least 3 to get to the real number of actual individual attendees. Not too mention the other methods used to inflate this figure.

I'm not anti Homebush, but I am anti spending millions of dollars on a venue that very few people get to use for only a few days a year, versus spending that money on somewhere like Eastern Creek where anyone can gain benefit from 365 days a year!

[GTRMagic]

Are there racing events on at Eastern Creek, featuring V8Supercars, 365 days of the year?

[Shane001]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Are there racing events on at Eastern Creek, featuring V8Supercars, 365 days of the year?

No there's not! So what?

So what you're saying is you just want the government to spend millions of dollars so you can watch V8's once a year at a temporary track that no one else gets any benefit out of vs spending millions of dollars on a facility that everyone can use including V8 supercars once a year for you to watch!



Nuf said....

[Langers]

EC is a garbage filled stinking hell hole with no public transport to speak of. The amenities at Homebush were just fantastic and it would be a shame to see it go.

[Shane001]

Originally Posted by Langers

EC is a garbage filled stinking hell hole with no public transport to speak of.

Which provides a facility 365 days a year for everything from bicycle races to concerts to motorsport events at all levels, as well as V8 super car fans.

Maybe some of the many millions spent on Homebush could have been spent on better transport access to EC

[Axeman444]

glad i was sitting down when i read Mr McKays words: "fans and the circus alike will be hoping for a repeat of the stunning racing in Perth last weekend"

while i'm all for Homebush as a racing venue, as a spectator it is absolutely rubbish unless you have a grandstand ticket. If they opened up the grass hill after turn one on the outside of the track, or let people stand within the carpark inside of turn 6, just somewhere you can see something if your not 8 feet tall

[anthony81901]

The Homebush deal was done by the previous state government and the disgraced former minister Ian McDonald amidst criticism from the O'Farrell opposition. There have been calls for an ICAC inquiry as the dealings may have not been as proper as they should.

It has long been Barry O'Farrell's stated position that his government would be unlikely to renew the Homebush deal and if V8$A are losing money on the event they will want out, it's just a PR game of trying to blame the event's demise on the government. They would probably be quite happy if the government offerred to pay them out ala Canberra and this year's event be the last.

After all there are all the much talked about overseas options to take it place on the calendar.

[Shane001]

Totally agree Anthony, though the threats of taking it overseas I think are a bluff lol!

[D.R.T.]

Keen you hear why you think this is a bad idea GTR?

For an event that loses money and hasnt hit any of the objectives why this is such a bad move?

Also why you seem to have an assumption that SOP is tumbleweeds when the v8's arent there??? Do you have any knowledge of what actually goes on there?

[mountainstar]

Well not surprised. People in Sydney are poor about supporting any sports or events, Olympics aside.

However I don't believe governments should be funding such events with the exception of helping out with government services in exchange for the revenue such races bring to an area. I just do not believe governments need to be in business on the hook for such events. Private citizens and organizations need to be running such things.

To me from what I could see is the track itself is not all that great. I do love street races, but they have to be in areas with decent streets that make a good track.

[pug205]

Goodbye Homebush! Glad to see the back of ya! It is a race that represents everything that is wrong with the way VESA goes racing these days.

[Morris Dancer]

Crikey, don't cross TC or you'll get a horse's head in your bed.

[Morris Dancer]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

Well not surprised. People in Sydney are poor about supporting any sports or events, Olympics aside.

That isn't true. Plenty of people turn up to the gay mardis gras ...

[Casper]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Are there racing events on at Eastern Creek, featuring V8Supercars, 365 days of the year?

Don't let me stop you, please elaborate. I think you need to have a more realistic view of where V8's actually sit in the sporting entertainment of this country before making comments of that nature. That is if I interpret your comments correctly but please tell me if I am wrong.

[Speedwayracer44]

Originally Posted by one five five

I'm sure the businesses based in there wouldn't attest to there being any 'tumbleweeds' floating around..... and if there are tumbleweeds still floating around, then the V8 race hasn't really done much for Homebush then has it, so why wouldn't it be scrapped??

one less street and a good chance of another permanent circuit being added to the calendar (Eastern Creek)....Good good call

I agree here, the only winners out of a street race are V8SC. The cost to do these events on local and state government is enormous, just look at Hamilton, 37 million over 5 years. Townsville will be next after they find out how much it has cost. Stick some of these cost savings back into a permanent facility so we can all use it and get a better service and product from them.

[Purist]

They'd have to build a new, FIA Grade 2 circuit to replace Townsville, which would easily cost $100-150 million just for the track and its facilities.