29 November 2004

Council Looking At Holding The V8 Race In Manukau

Manukau City Council is examining the possibility of holding the V8 Supercar race in Manukau, following the rejection of a bid to hold it in Auckland City.

Mayor Sir Barry Curtis says the race would be welcome in Manukau as it is an exciting event that would add to the array of events already held in the city. These include the Puhinui three day equestrian event, Rally of New Zealand, Ellerslie Flower Show, Bell Tea World Cup Show Jumping final and numerous youth events such as the ASB Secondary Schools' Maori and Pacific Island Cultural Festival.

"It is early days yet but we are going to give this our best shot. I believe we can already meet many of the requirements for the race to go ahead.

"We have numerous suitable venues of the required length and excellent, wide roads. For example, one possibility is a circuit around the Wiri area including Wiri Station Road.

"There are enormous benefits to holding such a race but there are also costs and the proposal must also meet the requirements for gaining resource consent. These factors will be assessed thoroughly and I expect a report back in two weeks.

"If the V8 Supercar race goes ahead in Manukau, I envisage it will be a regional event, not just a Manukau one. It would be a major undertaking with region-wide benefits and I will be seeking to involve other councils in the consideration process."

ENDS

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