Upgrades to spectator areas and drainage are underway at Queensland Raceways’ Lakeside Park circuit.
A new spectator mound will not only provide a new vantage point at ‘The Kink’, which marks the end of the front straight, but also serve as a noise barrier.
Work began on Monday with the relocation of sections of a bridge weighing more than 50 tonnes, and thousands of tonnes of fill will be brought in to build the mound.
Once complete, it will supplement a mound directly opposite pit lane, extending closer to Lake Kurwongbah and offering viewing in both directions.
The bridge sections, which were previously used at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit, will remain at Lakeside.
Drainage work is also being carried out to alleviate the flooding issues which have been experienced since the dam wall at the southern end of the lake was raised.
The works come after John Tetley opted to retain ownership of Queensland Raceways, having been in talks with Tony Quinn about selling the business, which includes Queensland Raceway itself.
When the sale fell through, Quinn asserted that significant refurbishments were needed at the circuits, before Tetley committed to upgrades.
That the new mound should act as a noise barrier is notable considering past issues which Lakeside has encountered.
More recently, Goulburn’s Wakefield Park went through a protracted development application process due to noise concerns which were said to have threatened the viability of the circuit.
That DA was conditionally approved midway through last month, just as the closure of the Gold Coast’s Xtreme Karting Facility was announced.
Court documents show that three nearby residents objected to the noise impact of Xtreme, although it was also noted that the facility had been operating in breach of planning laws.
As for Lakeside, “grander upgrade plans” are said to be in the works once a Ministerial Infrastructure Designation is in place for that circuit and the sister Queensland Raceway venue.
The latter had been tentatively added to the Repco Supercars Championship calendar before it was redrawn again due to further border closures.
Round 6 of the Queensland Racing Driver Championship will instead be held on that August 21-22 weekend, although Queensland Raceway remains a standby circuit for Supercars.
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