By Chris Thomson | posted on July 12, 2018
WORD of a Ferrari run up Marine Drive to the glamorous Garrison Restaurant left heated critique of the Racewars rev-fest floundering in its wake at a council pow-wow on Tuesday night.
At the City of Albany’s monthly Community and Corporate Services Committee meeting, Acting Council CEO Michael Cole revealed Marine Drive would be closed in “a couple of weeks” for a Ferrari time trial to test the tarmac for the introduction of a full-blown Ferrari ascent during Racewars 2019.
Amid claims by Deputy Mayor Greg Stocks that the council could do more to support Racewars, Councillor Rob Sutton nominated facilitation of the planned “Ferrari Club hill climb” as one instance of the City paving the way.
Mr Cole said City staff “had gone out of their way” to make Racewars a winner, including allowing high performance street machines to motor down the runway of Albany’s City-owned airport.
“The fact they can run down that strip on a long weekend – unheard of,” he observed of the Labour Day speed-fest.
But Alison Goode – who from 1999 to 2007 was the City’s first mayor – ripped into an economic benefit figure for Racewars provided by City Governance and Risk Manager Stuart Jamieson.
Cr Goode dubbed the $5.3 million economic benefit figure “nonsense” and “ridiculous” based on the 9000-plus people estimated to have attended the event.
“I don’t know what your magi- cal figure is, but it’s an insult,” Cr Goode told Mr Cole.
“I’ll take that on board, Councillor,” Mr Cole said before assuring the former mayor the figures were based on “sound modelling”.
A recommendation that the Council receive Mr Jamieson’s evaluation of Racewars 2018 – and con- sider extra cash or in-kind funding – was endorsed nine councillors to two, with Crs Goode and Tracy Sleeman voting against.
Pic: Albany motor enthusiast Joe Baker’s sleek 1986 Ferrari Mondial 3.2. Photo: Grace Jones
