THE Ballarat Light Car Club in western Victoria has been given three months to vacate its motorsport complex at the Ballarat Airport after hosting 45 years of grassroots motorsport events at the facility.
The BLCC has been told by the City of Ballarat that it must leave its leased site and remove all equipment at the Ballarat Airport by August 31, leaving club members fearing for the historic club’s future.
Development Victoria is soon to commence works involving the extension of Liberator Drive, which will run through where the motorsport complex currently sits.
The Motorsport Australia-affiliated club has leased the 16-hectares since 1979 for its motorsport complex site at the airport. In that time it has hosted hundreds of club level events and acted as a driver training and development facility with countless junior members learning to drive at the club.
The BLCC’s clubrooms, located a short distance away at the airport, will not be affected by the changes.
The club was originally formed as a branch of the Light Car Club of Australia in 1949 by a group of local businessmen, but gained independence as the BLCC in 1991 after the LCCA closed down.
The news has long-time members fearing for the future of a club that has also produced state and national level champions and provided a safe, local competitive motorsport outlet for 75 years.
The club has looked at several alternative sites since 2011 but has not found a new home for motorsport competition and is appealing to the public for support while also seeking a lease extension from the council.
Former president and secretary Wayne Drew said the club’s future is on the line.
“Without a piece of land, the club won’t exist,” says Drew, who joined the club in 1983.
“People join the club to compete although it goes much further than that. A lot of families get involved after taking part in come-and-try days and we provide a safe environment to teach real-life driving skills to kids. We help to build family relationships.
“Parents don’t just drop the kids and run – they have to be there as the guardian and they can compete in the same vehicle.”
He says the club needs 15 to 20 hectares of land to build a suitable complex.
“We would love if a farmer has a parcel of land that doesn’t grow anything that might be suitable for us.
“There could be complexities about getting zoning change approvals to run a motorsport complex but we want to look at any opportunity.”
Life member Rod Hall fears without land for events, the club will struggle to keep members.
“If we don’t have a home, we might not remain as a functional club,” he says.
“The club holds motorkhanas, autocrosses and khanacrosses on the complex at the airport. If that doesn’t happen, people won’t become members and they probably won’t want to help at the higher-level events like rallies or hillclimbs.
“We’re concerned that if we don’t find somewhere to go and re-establish the complex, we will lose members.”
Life member Keith McElroy said the club cooperated with the council from 2001 on various committees and contributed thousands of dollars to the cost of consultant fees in an effort to establish a new motorsport complex, all to no avail.
“Council money was budgeted for a deposit and a site, but after more recent elections the initiative was scrapped,” he said.
