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When Swan Hill Rural City Council embarked on plans to build a nationally accredited, quarter-mile drag strip in Victoria's north-west, it believed the $2.5 million project would bolster the region's economy and tourism.
Fast forward a decade, with nearly $1 million extra spent to rectify defects, and the racetrack surface has been deemed too dangerous for high-speed competition.
It was provisionally closed in October, before a final decision not to reopen the site was announced days before Christmas.
"[The drag strip] has been plagued with problems from the start," Mayor Stuart King said.
"The ground has moved and the surface is uneven and … it causes issues for high-speed racing.
"Over the years the council of the day has made attempts to make repairs to make things work.
"But unfortunately we are in the situation where at this point in time there is no simple way forward."
Build it and they will come
The strip was the centrepiece of an ambitious plan to develop Victoria's north-west as an elite region for drag racing events.
A 2010 study found participation in motorsport by Swan Hill and Mildura residents was three times the state average and four times the national average.
By 2014, the council had stumped up $400,000 to built the drag strip, and secured $2 million from the state government as well as $220,000 from the Swan Hill Drag Club.
The project attracted fanfare when former deputy premier Peter Ryan visited Swan Hill Motorplex to formally announce his government's backing.
"Establishing a nationally accredited quarter-mile drag racing facility has the potential to be a key economic driver for the region, supporting motorsport-related industry, education and training systems, and an expanded tourism industry," he said at the time.
"It's estimated that 16,000 people from outside the region will attend the proposed drag racing events per year and stay at least one night, spending more than $2 million in the Swan Hill region."
What went wrong?
Problems became evident with the track shortly after it was built, which took place between 2014 and 2016.
During celebrations to mark the site's official opening, it was observed that concrete joints in the racing surface had shifted.
An independent engineers' report received by the council outlined multiple factors contributing to poor track quality.
It identified issues relating to soil treatments, drainage, concrete-laying methods and the presence of rabbit burrows at the site, some of which might not have been removed or compacted with a suitable material.
The report concluded that the track's design and construction were "unlikely to achieve the outcomes of smooth riding condition required for drag racing".
Repairs were undertaken, including grinding the surface and replacing small sections of asphalt, at a cost of $500,000, which was allocated from the council's cash surplus and reserve funds.
Major event stalls
Further defects in the racing surface emerged in 2019, three months out from Swan Hill hosting the Melbourne Jamboree, a major event on the motorsport calender.
To enable the tournament to go ahead, the council approved up to $170,000 in unbudgeted expenditure to smooth out the track, but problems with the pavement persisted and the Jamboree was called off three weeks before the race.
In a statement released at the time, Jamboree Australia said the cancellation was due to the track "showing movement".
"This expansion and contraction of the surface can lead to variations in the track levels that are not conducive to high speed race cars at the fastest part of the race track," it said.
The facility continued to fall into disrepair, and in 2021 the prospect of building a new drag strip was put to the council.
The proposal was ultimately rejected after a majority of councillors voted against allocating $210,000 to develop a business case and concept designs for another track.
End of the road?
Victorian Nationals leader and Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh, who helped secure funding for the project, said the closure was "bitterly disappointing".
"The mess we have today is of the council's making from the time when the track was first built," he said.
"None of the senior people who oversaw the initial build, where it all went wrong, are still part of council but that doesn't mean the current management can simply close the book on this community dream."
The Swan Hill Drag Club is now weighing up asking the Victorian Ombudsman to investigate where and how money invested in the project was spent.
Prior to closing the site, the council considered the possibility of leasing, selling or gifting the track to the club as well as a confidential proposal.
However, neither option was seen to be viable.
"There is still an inherent risk there for council in terms of the safety of the site," Cr King said.
"It is not as simple as giving it away and washing your hands."
The council said it would undertake a "strategic planning process" for the Swan Hill Motorplex at a future time.
It did not comment when asked how many track-related injuries had been reported at the drag strip and whether compensation had been paid.
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