Update

FRIENDS OF LAKESIDE/ SAVE LAKESIDE

Update July 2006

We have now past the 45th Anniversary date of Lakeside. The official Lakeside opening by His Excellence Sir Henry Abel Smith ( who also was the patron of Lakeside for many years ) on the 19th March 1961. This year marks the 25th Anniversary of Dick Johnson.s 1st of five ATCC title championships clinched at the last round at Lakeside in 1981, ( I do remember the 35,000 crowd cheering Dick on as he led all the way the 35 lap race).

Well no thanks to the PRSC the Goodwood type festival of nostalgic motor racing, with great names like Sir Jack Brabham, Sir Jackie Stewart, Phil Hill, Graham Hill, John Surtees, Jochen Rindt, Jim Clark, Denny Hulme and many more Grand Prix drivers, even Sir Frank Williams' brought his then small team out to Lakeside. With two Australian Grand Prix's and several Tasman ("International")Series races held in the sixties at Lakeside a F1 of the sixties revival wouldn't be short of motor racing history. (Dressed in the period of the day if you wish just for fun) . Also the National title races just in Touring Cars and if we just go up to the eighties Group C. Commencing from the one-off 1964 title won in a 500 GT Lotus Cortina by Ian "Pete" Geoghegan along with the Bob Jane, Bill Pitt days, up to the Moffat, Brock and Dick Johnson era that would have been one hell of a International/National Revival Festival that could have happened if the PRSC had co-operated.

From the very beginning, this council.s total opposition to motor racing and heritage, still proves to me they are not ever going to support Lakeside's Australian motor sport history, and retain the complex after 2010. Given they don't use further 'dud' safety reasons to bulldoze what's left of Lakeside, I.E. the Tower and the bridge. Already we have seen the demolition of the oldest icon, the very first building 'The Barn' with the iconic word 'Lakeside' as seen in countless pictures taken at the circuit over the forty year history of Lakeside.

This was an International motor sport first, an Australian first in full heritage of a complete circuit complex, which means nothing to this council historically, when Australia compared to Europe and America, has so little motor sporting history remaining.

As I had assisted Gene from Total Driver with as much information on the Lakeside project as I could, I was glad to see his success at running an event recently at Lakeside.

Following on, my 2010 prediction of what will be left of the circuit will be named 'Lakeside Boulevarde/Drive' servicing 'Lakeside Golf Links Estate', namely 'Millionaires Row' on XXXX Hill remembering there will only be a handful of blocks available. Eastern Loop will become a golf course fairway, and the low lying front straight and Karussel will simply become parklands, let's wait and see.

Given that we can prevent the above, with our ongoing efforts, I will not expand on our projects progress at this point, simply as we did originally with the "heritage" surprised everybody we predicted nothing, we just went quietly about our business and achieved the one and only thing that has kept Lakeside standing ... the fight is not over !

We are positive not with the PRSC but with our efforts and possibilities to secure Lakeside's future , stay tuned.