Renowned Queensland business figure John Wagner is confident the $175 million dollar motorsport precinct planned for Toowoomba will do wonders for Queensland.
Projected to house a 40,000 person amphitheatre and raceway, motorbike tracks, 5000 campsite places and driver training facilities, the Wellcamp Entertainment Precinct will make the regional town into a motorsport destination with a world class racetrack.
And Toowoomba is no stranger to motorsport either, as both IndyCar star Will Power and Repco Supercars Championship rookie Will Brown hail from the town.
With the Wagner Corporation investing $95m and the Queensland Government already committed to contributing $40m itself, Wagner remains hopeful the Federal Government would throw its support behind the circuit with the remaining $40m.
The precinct, which will provide up to 2500 jobs at an event, has been in the planning stages for around six years and should it receive the financial boost required, construction would begin by April and completed only 18 months later.
It’s an ambitious proposal but one that Wagner believes will pay off as it gets closer to fruition.
“Wherever you’re sitting, you’ll be able to see the entire track,” Wagner told the Australian.
“The elevation really gives the spectators a good look at what’s going on. It’s got really good foundations and from an engineering and track-building perspective, it really hits the spot.
“We’re already seeing more investment in Toowoomba as a result of the airport, high-rise motels and the like, and we’d like to see that sort of investment continue.”
The racetrack, which has had five-time Supercars champion Mark Skaife’s input in the design, will host Motorsport Australia sanctioned events and be certified by the FIA.
Motorsport Australia CEO Eugene Arocca was excited for what the project would do for the sport in the country and was hopeful construction would start soon.
“It looks to be a magnificent precinct and one that Motorsport Australia has already been closely involved with,” Arocca said.
“John’s vision on what this would do for not just motorsport in Queensland, but the whole country, as well as Toowoomba itself, is terrific.
“It will have state-of-the-art facilities and an exciting track that can host top level and grassroots motorsport, so it’s definitely a project that will reshape the sport in Australia.
“It’s up to the Federal Government now to jump on board, but I am confident they will recognise the benefits this wonderful precinct has to offer both on an economic and sporting front.”