The work on returning motorcycle activity to Barbagallo Raceway has been progressing well.
Our contracted engineer Steve Brake of Calibre Consulting has studied the track and designed appropriate modifications to improve safety and to satisfy the recommendations of the Hall Report. On the 11th August, we tested these planned modifications with our motorcycle working group and were very pleased with the results. These were fed back to Mr Brake with some minor changes which he has validated and re-issued drawings reflecting these modifications. These were tested again on 25th August and we are confident that the results should prove to be effective at improving safety on the track for motorcycle users, over and above existing controls.
Once we have final design specifications and empirical speed data from that session, Steve Brake will compile his final report demonstrating the effectiveness of the modifications. This report should be completed soon, and we will forward it to Motorcycling Australia (MA) for their review. Once MA has signed off on the modifications as being acceptable, we will commission these modifications at our expense, and will hold a public display of these measures in practice.
We should then be able to notify our hirers of a start date to accept bookings for Novice Rider Training, Advanced Rider Training and Controlled Practice.
We are also hoping to progress to the return of motorcycle racing in 2018. For this to occur we require the new formal Guidelines from MA which then allow us to design and budget for the works required. We will need to seek approval from our membership to spend the money to make the necessary modifications.
At this stage, we have no indication from MA as to when we can expect to receive the new Guidelines. As a result, we are unable at this time to make any firm commitments as to when motorcycle racing will return to the Raceway. We will continue to actively seek clarity around this in order to keep the process moving as quickly as possible.
The WASCC is committed to seeing a return of motorcycle activity a soon as is acceptably safe and practicable and is looking forward to working with all of our stakeholders to see this occur.