A group of Riverina petrol-heads are hoping to satisfy their need for speed by rallying to build a “burnout pad”.
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Griffith resident Wayne Pattern has been the driving force in getting Griffins together.
“A lot of people in Griffith are looking at having a burnout pad to support to support local charities, which would also host big competitions, and raising suicide awareness,” Mr Patten said.
“Griffith has some problems with hoons, and we want to keep it off the streets, especially for the younger drivers who haven't matured and don’t think about consequences, but still want to get the enjoyment out of the sport.”
In a show of support for the pad, 20 of Griffith’s die-hard car devotees gathered to discuss the campaign.
Among those throwing their support behind the idea was councillor Simon Croce.
“People are always going to do it, but if they had somewhere safe to do it they can hold off, and do it but do it properly...I think it’s a great idea,” Cr Croce said.
“This is only a fraction of the people who would support it.
“It’s popular, as it’s a good place to let out a few frustrations and have a bit of fun in a safe environment.”
Ideas for fundraisers and community support the pad could generate were also heard, with Jeff Power attesting to the success of events held in similar places.
“Its a great way to fund-raise for families in need, because we had one in Sydney where a mother died of cancer, and we had 200 cars – 170 of them did burnouts – and all the money went to the family,” Mr Power said.
Matt Gullifer, who had experience in the burnout arena, said there were a lot of places in the country that had these places, but it could be expensive.
“It generally involves travelling at least 500 kilometres to do it,” Mr Gullifer said.
“It’s not just about doing them, it’s about watching them as well.”
At this stage, there was no specific location in mind for the pad, but Pines Raceway had been considered as an option.
“The main point of this is to get the word out there and for people to come forward and support this,” Mr Patten said.
“We would also like to get the council behind this as well, obviously it’d be amazing if we could get funding, however failing that, we have been sussing out sponsors from local businesses to see their interest in helping out.”
The proposal is similar to a Leeton-based campaign, which would include a drag strip between a motorcycle club and an aerodrome.
