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Raceway refurb hits fast track

Financial boost from council helps motorsport venue complete resealing works ahead of schedule.
Posted on 28 September, 2020
Raceway refurb hits fast track

A revamp of South Canterbury Car Club’s track near Timaru has sped ahead and hit the finish line early after receiving a $62,096 cash boost.

The club received the money from the Timaru District Council Stimulus Fund for its resealing work at the Levels Raceway. 

The funding enabled a 7,800-square-metre section of the track to be sealed by roading contractor Fulton Hogan, completing the project ahead of time and at a lower cost than its initial staged plan.

Kevin Pateman, club president, says accessing the stimulus cash meant it completed the project in 2020 instead of spreading the work over two years.

“Having all the machinery on site already meant that there was a cost saving to be had, but doing it all in one ensured a higher quality finish, with fewer joins and even a better surface consistency from using a single batch of bitumen,” he explains.

“Every three years our track is inspected by Motorsport NZ to keep its FIA Category 3 licence, which allows the club to run international events as well as national championships including the NZ Touring Cars and Super Truck Racing.

“Work like this is critical to ensure we can meet these standards and ensure we can attract high-calibre events to the district.”

The council’s $2 million Stimulus Fund was set up in the aftermath of the Covid-19 lockdown to help fast track projects that would boost economic and employment activity, while delivering new or improved facilities for the community.

Mayor Nigel Bowen says it is great to see the funding, which has supported 10 projects, in action and he was happy to support the work at the Levels Raceway.

“From an economic stimulus point of view this was a fantastic project to support, and it’s great that they could complete the work so quickly,” he adds.

“Ensuring the raceway is kept up to modern standards is key to ensuring they can continue to host a calendar of events through the year, which have huge downstream economic benefits to the district’s accommodation, hospitality and retail sectors.

“The car club also actively support the community from enabling fundraising to supporting community use of the track by everyone from the Police to youth groups.”