Easternats Cancelled

[W0rp3D]

THE Easternats drag racing festival has been axed following years of bickering between residents, organisers and the council.

>>Hoons or enthusiasts? Should the festival have been scrapped? Comment below.

>>The way they were: Easternats in 2007 - 2008

The Melbourne Racing Club would not say why it had scrapped the event, but it is understood a breakdown in communication between the club and promoter Rapid Australia led to the decision.

News of the demise of the controversial four-day event at Sandown raceway has thrilled some residents, while others are in mourning.

The event has attracted more than 25,000 visitors to the area each year since 1997.

Easternats promoter Jon Davison would not comment on the issue.

John De Blauw, of Noble Park, said residents would finally have a peaceful Easter.

“It’s like trying to go to sleep in a room full of mosquitoes,” Mr De Blauw said of race days.

Springvale’s Betty Armstrong said the event, which included controlled drag racing and burnouts, caused unnecessary carbon emissions and was unlikely to reduce hooning on the streets.

But Sandown Park Hotel Motel assistant manager Renee Davis said the weekend was booked out every year by interstate visitors.

“There would definitely be a massive effect on revenue without the event because we not only had people staying at the hotel, but coming in for meals and drinks,” Ms Davis said.

Springvale Acting Sen-Sgt Phil Atkins said safety concerns for drivers and spectators led police to support the MRC’s choice.

MRC’s Sandown manager Wade Calderwood would not elaborate but said the decision had not been made lightly.

Other motorsports, driver training and car club events will continue at Sandown.

In April Easternats organisers were slapped with more than $6000 in council fines for permit breaches.

Greater Dandenong Council’s development services director Mal Baker said some fines had been paid and both the MRC and Mr Davison would likely seek a review of unpaid fines.

He said the council had not been involved in the MRC’s decision.

http://springvale-dandenong-leader.whereil...fest-scrapped1/

[R31Nismoid]

Another win for stupid resident's, councils, minority groups, police and of course - the good old media.

Sad day really

[(OO)SKYLINE(OO)]

I don't know if it was stupid to build a racetrack next to residential homes...

Or

Build residential homes next to a racetrack...

Which ever came first I don't know and it took "years of bickering between residents, organisers and the council." to finally stop it..?

[R31Nismoid]

First event was 1962 according to Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandown_Raceway

So it'll be around that... That makes it 50 years, now if none of those people have lived there longer than 50 years then they should have their lips tied together if they uttered anything about the noise or it closing down.

But you'll find probably 80% at the least would have moved there after it was built...

[(OO)SKYLINE(OO)]

First event was 1962 according to Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandown_Raceway

So it'll be around that... That makes it 50 years, now if none of those people have lived there longer than 50 years then they should have their lips tied together if they uttered anything about the noise or it closing down.

But you'll find probably 80% at the least would have moved there after it was built...

I see...

Thanks for that.

"However as of 2009 due to the local residents, police and council - this even has been cancelled.

Its a shame that residents that have not lived in the area as long as the raceway - are allowed to complain to a level that see's this event shutdown.

Sad day for Victorian Motorsport & Enthusiasts."

Like... WTF?!

"Springvale’s Betty Armstrong said the event, which included controlled drag racing and burnouts, caused unnecessary carbon emissions and was unlikely to reduce hooning on the streets."

Well if these so-called "hoons" cannot "rip" it up in a controlled / race track environment, where are they going to do it.

These events (Easter/Summernates) should reduce the hooning in the streets and if you take it away it will increase on the streets...

It's an exact place for "Hoons" to go when they want to rip a burn out...

I do not participate in burn out events, nor have I ever been to a Easter/Summernates event but these excuses just sound ridiculous...

[joeyjoejoejuniorshabadoo]

afaik the racetrack was there before most of the houses

[Solid Snake]

The only people this will affect are the legit motoring enthusiasts, the rest will just take it to the street, remember the noble park riot in 2007? 2000 people gathered to an intersection and watched as street racers tore up the place, then they ransacked the blockbuster.

[Phantom32]

cancelling this event is just plain STUPID, especially in light of what has been happening in the streets lately. Fair enough, u may stop a few ppl hooning in and out of the place as they come and go, but at least those ppl will have gotten their tyre-frying out of their systems for now.

Now that this is gone, u will not only have those spectators burning up the streets, but also the would be competitors and theire 10+ friends as well.

GOVT is f*kn REATRDED, cant they see they are stripping us of what little we have left to enjoy our cars with??

Melbourne enthusiasts have two places to go to - Calder and Sandown. You take away one place, and now it becomes Calder or the STREETS.

not a hard choice gentleman

[W0rp3D]

Make that the streets, calder is closed atm.

[NORBY]

what i dont get is every minority group gets every tiny thing from the government, but people who are car enthusists dont get anything.

In my local area there was a few acres and they were trying to build houses there (1/4 acre+ blocks) but because some bloke saw an owl there the whole lot is now a nature reserve..

[SABBAi]

Hahha trav. that's funny.

The whole things stinks. You close all events/access to off street events and expect people not to do anything silly on the streets? pah...... Want 'hoons' off the streets, give them somewhere to go.

[baron25]

Build residential homes next to a racetrack...

Sandown would have been there long before, but expansion brought it in, just like Calder was once a drive out of town. It's only a matter of time before the airport is inner suburbs, and geelong is part of melbourne!

[adznight]

Typical....Victoria is a Police state, it's a joke. Everything the Police/Gov do down here just pushes hoons onto the street.

[LEANBAC]

oh well.... you win sum you dim sum

[ONE-VIA]

I don't know if it was stupid to build a racetrack next to residential homes...

Or

Build residential homes next to a racetrack...

same with calder park

Make that the streets, calder is closed atm.

the track isnt closed because of residents its currently closed due to bob jane handing over the track to his son rodney and getting rid of the senior staff

calder park has a curfue no racing after 11pm because of the morons that choose to live so close to a racetrack

[Taso84]

What most ppl here fail to understand is that the Govt doesnt mind if u bring hoons from the track to the street.

More hooning = more revenue.

[W0rp3D]

the track isnt closed because of residents its currently closed due to bob jane handing over the track to his son rodney and getting rid of the senior staff

calder park has a curfue no racing after 11pm because of the morons that choose to live so close to a racetrack

this should put my comment into perspective, it had no refference to why calder was closed.

Melbourne enthusiasts have two places to go to - Calder and Sandown. You take away one place, and now it becomes Calder or the STREETS.

not a hard choice gentleman

Make that the streets, calder is closed atm.

[frx026]

its no great surprise.

the V8 meat heads that went to the event wrecked it for themselves.

remember meatheads only have very small brains - they can only drive fast in a straight line... pit straight or princess hwy its all the same to them..

and the crowd didnt help... ripping it up in the carpark after their hero's used a 670 big block on methanol to smoke up a set of 165's on 14" rims...

and it will be those fully hektik meatheads that return to the princess highway and help along the government stats by donating their cars and cash under the hoon legislation..

either way the residents will whinge, complain and be totally superior to everyone who would like to use a fantastic facility at sandown..

[llama_au]

What most ppl here fail to understand is that the Govt doesnt mind if u bring hoons from the track to the street.

More hooning = more revenue.

You're absolutely right.

What a ridiculous decision. Another win for the dumbarse populace.

[Solid Snake]

What most ppl here fail to understand is that the Govt doesnt mind if u bring hoons from the track to the street.

More hooning = more revenue.

Thats what Dad said, I think you guys are onto something. You also just can't put this down to the "V8 Meatheads". How many dumb-asses do you see in a riced up Hyundai Excel trying to drag people off the lights or some other cheap asian car. You can point fingers and blame the other people all you want, but when it comes down to it, we're all on the same side because we're all "motoring enthusiasts", aren't we?

Recently, "Motoring Enthusiast" = "Hoon" in the public eye, they don't care if you drive a Skyline or an SS Commodore, you're all bunched in the same group. So why gang up on each other, realistically you should be working together as a team to find a logical solution. Being a motoring enthusiast these days is the equivilent of Hitler coming back from the dead and burning/gassing another 6,000,000 jews.