CALDER PARK PUSHING TOWARDS RE-OPENING

Known for decades as the ‘Home of Motorsport’ Calder Park Raceway is racing towards its goal of resuming on-track action with continual development taking place at the iconic circuit.

A small team has been working around the clock to get the multi-purpose track located on the north-western outskirts of Melbourne revived for national and state-level racing, drag racing and driver training.

Calder Park is scheduled to host on-track action as soon as August when the Victorian Motor Racing Championships arrives for round 3 of its 2023 season.

There are also ambitions of bringing the Victorian State Race Series back to the fast venue later in the season.

Calder Park venue manager Rowan Harman said things are “looking good” for racing to resume on schedule, having literally moved heaven and earth at the end of the back straight.

“It is all looking good for our first race meeting that will be August 12-13 for the Victorian Motor Racing Championships,” he told AUTO ACTION.

“The major issue was the run-off area at the end of the back straight or Turn 6 as we now determine it.

“We have doubled the size of the gravel pit having moved quite a bit of Earth to make it look a bit sharper. Around three and a half to 4000 cubic metres.”

But before racing returns to Calder Park, drivers will be able to conduct practice days at the famous venue from as early as next month.

“For the Wednesday practice days we have just got the documentation going out to expressions of interest,” Harman said.

There are a number of operators looking at running that for us, so we are hoping in mid to late June to have that all tucked away.

“Then it would then be up to the operator to schedule it.”

The goal is to get the circuit re-issued with a Category B license to host national races and the work to make that happen will not stop soon, with the latest step beginning this weekend.

“Line marking is occurring this weekend. We should get a lot of that finalised with a good break in the weather over the next few days,” Harman confirmed.

“We will also paint the kerbs and all of the surroundings of the racetrack have been maintained.

“At this stage we will kick off with the C (licence) and move on to the B, so we can host national events.”

Calder Park last saw Supercars action in 2001 when Paul Morris won in a Big Kev VT Commodore.

The circuit was best known for hosting events such as the Australian Grand Prix, World Touring Car Championship and NASCAR on its famous Thunderdome oval during the venue’s glory days in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

For much of the last decade drag racing, street drags and drifting have been the main users but the motorsport world is on the verge of seeing State and National level racing return.

Back in October 2022 Rodney and Kim Jane spoke exclusively to AUTO ACTION of its plans to bring the famous venue back to life and things are well on their way.

Harman said there is plenty of excitement in the air at Calder Park.

“Calder Park is an icon of motorsport in Australia. It is where a lot of people would have started their racing journey,” he said.

“It has a huge history with the Thunderdome. The amount of people that would have used that track over the years is huge with huge crowds.

“It is the Australian home of motorsport coming back to life.”

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