Reproduced below is a press release that has been widely circulated by the Australian Racing Drivers Club (ARDC). Rarely do we see such swift and decisive response as was generated by this press release. To say that it has raised the ire of many within the drag racing community is an understatement.
AUSTRALIAN RACING DRIVERS CLUB MOVES TO BUILD NEW STRIPOn the 20th April, 1998, Mr. Phil Woodman, New South Wales Divisional Director of ANDRA (Australian National Drag Racing Association) attended a meeting of the ARDC Board (operators of Eastern Creek Raceway). This is the first of what will be a regular input from the Drag Racing Body at ARDC Board meetings.
There are clearly many changes under the new ARDC administration.
ARDC General Manager, Chris Hones said, "I have always maintained that we must build a new dedicated drag strip to make the drag strip venue viable, at last we have the Drag Racing industry united with us to ensure the future of Drag Racing in New South Wales."
During the meeting a strategy was formulated to move to build a new drag strip on the Eastern Creek site. Interviews have been conducted with a number of companies to source a suitable project engineer to assist in passing plans though (sic) all the Consent Authorities. Nearly 10 government and administrative departments! At the same time, ARDC and ANDRA officials are making a joint effort to secure funding for the project.
ANDRA CEO, Mr. Tony Thornton said "Access to full Drag Racing facilities in Sydney is one of ANDRA's highest priorities. The commitment of the ARDC to this project and the involvement of our Director are very positive developments, and we'll be doing everything possible to ensure a quick return to Championship Drag Racing."
Released by authority of ARDC General Manager, Christopher G. Hones
23 April 1998
We contacted Hones to confirm that the ARDC and ANDRA were working together to secure funds to construct a new drag strip at Eastern Creek. He said, "Well they're not pursuing it on our behalf but hopefully they're trying to get as much as we are."
It was pointed out that the press release clearly states," ....ARDC and ANDRA officials are making a joint effort to secure funding for the project", to which Hones replied, "I prepared a draft and sent it to Phil Woodman and sent the same draft to Tony Thornton and said would you please write any comments or make any changes and send it back before we release it. I got some notes back from Tony Thornton which were incorporated and that's how it went out. It was a joint press release."
On the statement that a strategy was formulated during the meeting, Hones said that the strategies were to do with getting the project off the ground and to get planning application approved by the relevant government departments and was passed at the board meeting that Woodman attended, but not while he was in the room.
New South Wales Divisional Director Phil Woodman said he had been surprised when he saw the release, and commented, "The strategies were developed before I entered the room and it would appear that my attendance had been misconstrued," said Woodman. "I had absolutely no input into the strategies whatsoever."
ANDRA CEO Tony Thornton restricted his comments to the following statement: "While we are happy to assist the ARDC, we are not actively pursuing funding on their behalf."
From these statements it would appear that there are conflicting views of just what is happening at Eastern Creek.
This office has received many irate and indignant responses to the press release in the days after its release, but the following letter is reproduced as a sample, and for all to ponder.
Open Letter to the Management and Board of the ARDCI have just read an ARDC "Press Release" dated 23 April, 1998 released by authority of Mr. Christopher G. Hones and after some reserch I would like to raise a few questions and hopefully get a few answers:
1: You state that Mr. Phil Woodman (NSW Divisional Director of ANDRA) attended a meeting of the ARDC Board, and that this is the first of what will be "regular input" from the "Drag Racing Body". You also state that during the meeting a strategy was formulated to move to build a new drag strip. Is it not a fact that Mr. Woodman was not even consulted about your supposed strategies?
According to Mr. Woodman he was in fact admitted to your meeting 10 minutes after it started (after being made to wait outside), and read the contents of your strategies which had already been formulated and was then asked to leave your meeting with little or no comment sought from him on this subject. If this is your version of "input" from the Drag Racing Body, then some serious questions regarding your true agenda for "Drag Racing" at Eastern Creek need to be asked and answered.
2: You also state that this is all about making Drag Racing "viable" at Eastern Creek. If you were half the business people you pretend to be you would already know that "Drag Racing" has always been the only viable motor sport conducted at Eastern Creek, including the motorcycle Grand Prix! A little bit of professional research in this area would tell you this but it would appear that you don't really want to know.
3: You further state that you have the "Drag Racing industry" united with you to ensure the future of "Drag Racing in NSW". The "Drag Racing" industry is united, but NOT with the ARDC. At a recent ANDRA Divisonal Council meeting, all represented NSW clubs elected NOT to support you in your efforts to downgrade the track to 1/8th mile or any other racing on an unprepared and therefore unsafe race track.
4: You state that interviews have been conducted with a number of companies for a project engineer. Which companies?
5: You further state that ARDC and ANDRA officials are making a joint effort to secure funding for this project. Could you please name which ANDRA officials, because all of the ANDRA officials I could contact, including ANDRA CEO Mr. Tony Thornton, knew nothing of this "joint effort".
Mr. Hones, I put it to you that most of your "Press Release" is fictional. While ever the ARDC continues to ride along sucking the dollars out of street meetings to cover your poorly arranged leasing arrangements with the government, very little will be done to ever reinstate genuine "Drag Racing" on the list of motor sport events at Eastern Creek. You are either not capable or not interested in doing so. Which is it?
Genuine "Drag Racing" has always meant big bucks. Why the hell you people refuse to accept this overwhelming fact and reintroduce genuine "Drag Racing" (ie: Groups One, Two, Three and Four) is beyond all sensible business comrpehension. You continually claim that the costs to clean the track make genuine "Drag Racing" uneconomical but this cost would pale into insignificance compared to the financial windfall that genuine "Drag Racing" can bring back to Eastern Creek. You can no longer hide behind these claims.
To the racers we should genuinely fear for the future of our sport in NSW. Under the current regime, the press releases put out by these people are nothing more than a smoke screen to keep us hanging on to the slightest hope that one day they might do something. To be strung along like donkeys chasing the carrot will only lead us to extinction.
I await the ARDC's most predictable response.
Bruce Read,Merrylands, NSW
Copies to: ARDC, ANDRA Head Office, Mr. Phil Woodman, NSW Divisional Council, Dragster Australia, Motorsport News, Auto Action.
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written by David Cook from DRAGSTER Australia page 7 - May 8, 1998 © DAVID COOK PUBLISHING PTY. LTD. 1998 |
