Lakeside 300 to proceed despite noise issue

Queensland Raceways (QR) will hold the Lakeside 300 with a reduced noise limit, marking a lifting of the self-imposed suspension in racing.

The event, which is the second of two rounds of the Queensland Endurance Championship, will go ahead on September 27-29 despite the ongoing noise dispute which Lakeside Park is mired in.

Competitors will, however, be subject to a noise restriction of 90 decibels rather than the former limit of 95 decibels in a bid to prevent a breach of noise limits which have seen QR, owner of Lakeside and the Ipswich circuit of the similar name, rack up tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of fines.

The suspension in racing dates back to November last year, which QR CEO John Tetley attributed to the mounting fines and an inability to have Lakeside reclassified from ‘Outdoor Entertainment Venue’ to ‘Sports Ground’, the latter of which has a higher noise limit as per state legislation.

The cancellation of the Lakeside Classic, which was to have taken place this month (July 19-21), was announced in June.

Later that month, Tetley claimed that noise levels from Lakeside were not being measured fairly, although he shifted blame from Moreton Bay Regional Council, the local government area in which the circuit is located, north of Brisbane, to those advising Council.