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fastlane DUBBO LOOKING TO WELCOME WORLD-CLASS DRAG STRIP Following the receipt of development approval from the Dubbo Regional Council, the Dubbo City Car Club is hoping to build what is mooted to be a world-class drag strip. be great news for the region, as not only do you have the activity of the drag strip, you also have people travelling to Dubbo from other locations such as Mildura, Adelaide, Sydney or Melbourne to race, and that brings further dollars to businesses. Not only does the project propose to fi ll a gap in the market in regional New South Wales, but it is also intended that the new strip will represent a world-fi rst as the fi rst ever ‘zero emissions’ facility. “This can only be a good thing, and we are pleased to be able to throw our support behind it. When the strip is established, we look forward to it playing host to rounds of the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series. While the club has approval from the council, it also needs an investment of between $4 million and $5 million to get the initial stage of building underway. As such, it has called on the state and federal governments to get behind the project. “We are also very interested to hear of the Club’s zero- emissions plans, which would be a world-fi rst. They plan to use solar panels and potentially wind energy, and while drag racing’s emissions are not as high as other motorsports, it is still a good thing to alleviate what we can.” The Australian National Drag Racing Association is proud to support the project, with Acting General Manager Brett Stevens recently travelling to the proposed location as part of a launch for the program with local media. The Dubbo City Car Club projects that once funding is secured, it will take around 12 months for the project to be completed, with more than 100 people expected to be employed during construction. Plans are also in the works to eventually establish driver training services for both individuals and vital public service organisations such as the Rural Fire Service, the State Emergency Service and the NSW Police. “With New South Wales representation our biggest member base, to see another facility provided for them is fantastic in our book,” Stevens said. “The establishment of a Dubbo drag racing facility would Photo Credity: Dubbo Photo News, John Ryan. 39