Pietermaritzburg - Racing enthusiasts who have called for a legal drag race strip in the Pietermaritzburg area for the past 13 years are following developments with keen interest.
A proposal for a possible temporary legal dragstrip at Mason’s Mill in Edendale was to have been tabled at the Msunduzi Municipality's executive committee meeting on Thursday for approval.
Drag racing remains a contentious issue among Pietermaritzburg residents. Some believe it should be banned completely because it endangers lives, while drag racing enthusiasts maintain that if they were provided with an official track to battle it out, the danger associated with the sport would be minimised.
Msunduzi Municipality Speaker Babu Baijoo said in January they had met representatives of drag racers in the city and the site at Mason’s Mill might be sanctioned as a designated area for legal races.
Two sites - Mason’s Mill and another at the Mkondeni municipal market, had been under consideration for several months, he said, but environmental impact assessments had to be conducted and approved once a site had been identified.
Baijoo estimated that there were at least 3000 licensed drag racers in Pietermaritzburg alone.
“We are committed and determined to get them an official venue.”
BEST INTERESTS
Dr Ray Ngcobo of the municipality’s Economic Development Services, said they had decided to regulate the sport because of its popularity.
“These races are happening in areas not zoned for motorsport,” he said. “ We feel that it is in the best interest of everybody if these races are regulated.”
Ngcobo said once the venue was approved by Exco, it would be used temporarily while the municipality searched for a permanent site.
Michael Chetty, a member of Illegal to Legal, the racing organisation that put forward the proposal to the municipality, said it had been trying to get council approval for the past 13 years.
If the proposal is successful, Illegal to Legal will lease the site and impose strict conditions; it will also be responsible for all activities associated with race meetings, including security and crowd control.
Chetty said once the site was approved, racing was expected to take place on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. A lot of money and work would have to go into making the strip suitable for drag races, he added.
Drag racer and motorsport enthusiast Denver Naidoo said he was thrilled at the prospect of a legal racing strip, which would curb illegal street races.
“I’m happy our pleas have been heard. All we want is to be able to pursue our love for motor sport in a safe, legal environment. This most definitely minimises any danger and is also a step in the right direction in promoting the sport in our province,” Naidoo said.
Daily News