Moto champ rejects Avalon

Andrew Mathieson
GEELONG councillors will consider backing a new motocross track at Avalon despite a former Australian champion saying its salty soil will ruin riders’ bikes.
Craig Dack called on City Hall to scrap its Avalon plan to redistribute $800,000 in ratepayer’s money to Barrabool’s McAdam Park.
Geelong’s Sporting Motorcycle Club is fighting a battle to buy the region’s long-standing motorcycle facility from its McAdam family land owners.
State Government has promised $1 million and Surf Coast Shire has offered $200,000 for the purchase but the club still needs to raise almost $2 million to reach the $3.2 million price tag by a September deadline to buy the site.
The club has gathered about $200,000 in donations.
Mr Dack said spending Geelong ratepayers’ money on an inferior Dandos Road track at Avalon would be a waste.
“The land out there is very high in salt,” he said.
“Salt with motorbikes is certainly not a good thing.
“I have flown over (the site) a bunch of times and it’s very low-lying, so there would be a lot of salt in the soil.”
Mr Dack told the Independent in January that he supported the creation of another track in the region after Geelong Motocross Club was forced off its Breakwater track amid complaints from residents about noise and dust.
But the multiple Australian representative said he now believed the homeless motocross riders should relocate to Barrabool with the sporting motorcycle club to help both group of riders save “one of the best tracks in the country”.
“At the moment, it’s looking like Barrabool could fall over unless we get an injection of money from Geelong’s council,” Mr Dack said.
“I think it’s more important to save McAdam Park than starting a new track at Avalon.”
Geelong Mayor John Mitchell, who holds council’s sport portfolio, said council had not “yet confirmed a position” on McAdam Park.
Cr Mitchell said the Avalon proposal was aimed solely at replacing the Breakwater track rather than also offering a new home for the Barrabool riders.
“The two issues are completely separate,” he said.
“We have to make a decision on the information we’re given to whether Dandos Road is viable.
“All the information we have been told so far is that it is viable.
“There are people out there that have different views, so we will re-evaluate what we’re doing.”
Cr Mitchell expected council to make a decision on the Avalon proposal in the next month.