By Kirsty Colbert
Who would ever have thought the smell of burnt rubber and the screeching of tyres would be a welcome boost for regional tourism?
Thanks to two Port Lincoln men this the reality next year when the Port Lincoln Teakle Auto Sprint sets into gear.
Local men Tony Rodda and Hagen Zerk love all things motorsports.
In 2014, the pair competed in a Rally Sprint competition at the docks of Port Adelaide.
Originally to be held in the industrial district of Port Adelaide, the event garnered a lot of interest from racers and fans around the country, thus inspiring the duo to create the regional event.
“We thought imagine if we could bring a similar event to the streets of Port Lincoln, to a part of South Australia that doesn’t see this type or level of motorsport,” Tony says.
Local men Tony Rodda and Hagen Zerk love all things motorsports
In September last year, Tony met with Port Lincoln Mayor Bruce Green to put forward he and Hagen’s ideas, sharing with him similar events held around the country they would model the city’s auto sprint on, including the Leyburn Sprints in Queensland.
“To my excitement, Bruce was the Mayor in that area when this event started some 20 years earlier,” Tony says.
After garnering support from all businesses and residents who would be affected, the pair put their plans and ideas to a full council meeting in which they received approval in principle.
The Teakle Auto Sprint will be held from Saturday, April 15 to 16, next year. It will be Street Circuit Speed Event with a prologue on the Saturday.
This speed event will see one car at a time race the clock on the 1.5 kilometre street circuit. The track design allows the organisers to release a second car before the first one finishes in order to give full time action for all spectators.
The race has entrants from not only South Australia, but around the country and includes Hagen, who is said to be the one to beat.
Peter Teakle has shown confidence in the event going forward and is committed for three years
Tony says economic boost to Port Lincoln from the event would be huge, with the hopes of making it an annual event, building a racing history in Port Lincoln.
“Peter Teakle has shown confidence in the event going forward and is committed for three years so we have no doubt this will be an awesome motorsport event,” he adds.
“Because of the distance some people will have to travel, we hope they will turn this into a holiday and boost our tourism industry. This will be a boost for our pubs, cafes and all retail outlets.
“It also puts Port Lincoln on the motor racing calendar, attracting people who may never have visited Port Lincoln or South Australia.”
The organisers said any excess money accumulated from the event will be used in having it return as an annual event, as well as investing some back into the community.
“We can’t thank all the businesses, companies, residences and authorities enough for their support,” Tony says.
“Hagen and I may have had the idea but without the support of our club EP Autosports Club and the passion of the committee, this would not happen”.
All images from Port Lincoln Times
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