CEO’s Personal Message
I would firstly like to thank you- our valued members, spectators, drivers, stakeholders and fans of motorsport for your support since the inception of Perth Motorplex in 2000 and in particular for your support following the announcement of a change in management in early June.
It is your commitment to both Perth Motorplex and motor sport that will ensure this venue continues to be one of the best in Australia.
This newsletter will be the first of many communications to keep you informed about our transition to interim operator of Perth Motorplex until a long term solution is secured.
It is our primary objective that you receive up-to-date and accurate information relating to events, sanctioning and operations at the venue.
I personally want to assure you that as VenuesWest commences its appointment as interim operator of the venue we are 100% committed to ensuring Perth Motorplex remains the premier motorsports facility in Western Australia.
With a long history of venue management across other well-known venues including HBF Stadium, HBF Arena, Midvale SpeedDome, WA Athletics Stadium, Bendat Basketball Centre and the State Netball Centre, we are confident as an accomplished state government-owned organisation that we can ensure continued success of Perth Motorplex.
With over 234,000 patrons visiting the venue every year and close to 80 events we appreciate the significance of this venue in the racing community.
We hope that before VenuesWest passes on the baton to the next operator we can increase the number of patrons by continuing to bring the ‘fans first’ experience to all patrons. To do this involves a team effort and we welcome the participation of both drivers and the extended motorsport community to deliver the best experience possible.
On a personal note, the VenuesWest team and I would like to sincerely thank the Miocevich family in particular Gary Miocevich, the long-term Chairman of Kwinana Motorplex Pty Ltd, who passed away in 2015.
Gary and his family devoted many years to the development of drag racing in Western Australia, bringing tireless enthusiasm to the task. Gary’s passion for the sport was instrumental in the creation of the Perth Motorplex in 2000, which combined the sports of drag racing from Ravenswood Raceway and speedway from Claremont Speedway.
Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge the passing of two of motor sports finest, well-respected sprint car team owner Shane Krikke and Speedway legend John Day.
Their dedication to the sport and Perth Motorplex was fantastic and it is a great loss to the community.
It is this commitment to the venue and sport which has ensured Perth Motorplex has kept its reputation as one of Australia’s outstanding and premier motorsport venues.
This is a great venue and a competitive process will be undertaken to secure the best possible operator to run it for the next 10-15 years. The negotiation of any major long term contract takes time and is a detailed process, hence the interim management period by VenuesWest.
I am excited to see what 2016 brings for both motorsport in WA and to Perth Motorplex and with VenuesWest temporarily at the helm we look forward to trying to deliver outstanding experiences.
There is important information in this newsletter that affects you and I encourage you all to keep reading. If you would like to provide feedback on anything that is discussed please respond through our feedback survey or do not hesitate to contact us at venueswestmotorplex@venueswest.wa.gov.au
Who is VenuesWest?
Established in 1986, the Western Australian Sports Centre Trust, trading as ‘VenuesWest, is the entity which manages Western Australia’s major State-owned sport and entertainment facilities with an asset portfolio consisting of 13 venues including Perth Motorplex.
VenuesWest delivers world class sport and entertainment experiences through the use of its assets.
Furthermore, VenuesWest directly supports high performance sport by providing world class training and competition facilities and through the provision of accessible high performance sport experiences for the community.
MORE INFO
Perth Motorplex operator
From 1 July, VenuesWest has commenced its role as Perth Motorplex operator for the short term.
Over the coming months VenuesWest will begin a process to secure a long term management solution and a separate process to appoint a sanctioning body for Perth Motorplex Drag Racing events.
VenuesWest is committed to delivering exceptional customer experiences across its portfolio of venues, with the safety of competitors and spectators our highest priority. Any decision regarding the future of Perth Motorplex will prioritise safety at the venue.
Furthermore, VenuesWest will work closely with key stakeholders, existing staff, sanctioning bodies, venue suppliers and consider the views of Perth Motorplex’s valued members before a long term option is secured.
MORE INFO
Update on Motorplex staff
Gavin Migro, Speedway Racing Manager and Rod Britton, Drag Racing Manager have both accepted offers from VenuesWest to stay at the venue. VenuesWest is very happy with this outcome and would like to thank them both.
Kevin Prendergast, General Manager, has decided to leave to pursue other opportunities. VenuesWest thanks him for all he has done at Perth Motorplex. Kevin has kindly agreed to stay on for a couple of months to oversee transition. This position will be advertised this week.
Many staff have also accepted short term contracts which is excellent for the venue. Recruitment for the General Manager position is underway and a few other positions will be advertised in the coming months.
VenuesWest would like to thank all staff at Perth Motorplex for their commitment, hard work and enthusiasm for the sport and the venue.
VenuesWest advisory committee
A Perth Motorplex Advisory Committee has been established to drive and support the transition of the venue to VenuesWest.
The focus of the Committee is to provide advice on specific issues and to ensure that the operations are safe and in place for the season opening in September 2016 and beyond.
Essentially, the Committee has been created to provide advice to ensure there is a smooth transition for VenuesWest to effectively manage Perth Motorplex operations until a long term solution is secured.
Information for drivers
We are aware that between now and when a drag racing sanctioning body is officially appointed that some driver’s licenses may lapse and as such VenuesWest has received a commitment from both the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) and the Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA) that drivers will not be adversely affected.
Both bodies have confirmed driver’s licenses for Perth competitors will be honoured in the interim until a decision is made.
It will be business as usual and your license will continue to be applicable.
Important information
ANDRA provides a 30 day grace period from the date of license expiry and IHRA provides an extension of licenses for a month.
If a license lapses for a short time this will only impact on the amount of time remaining on the medical certificate, which is required to be updated every two years
Update on sanctioning
VenuesWest has now commenced a tender process to appoint a Drag Racing sanctioning body for Perth Motorplex events. Both ANDRA and IHRA are expected to respond.
VenuesWest is committed to working together with the sanctioning bodies to ensure that the best solution is sorted fast.
It is expected the preferred Drag Racing sanctioning body will be announced by the end of August.
Driver, spectator and staff safety will be at the forefront of this decision.
MORE INFO
Finding facts
For the most accurate and up-to-date facts we encourage you to refer to communications only released by us. You can find a list of FAQS regarding the sanctioning and operator services at the venue here.
Note: We ask that you please do not speculate and believe everything that you read on social media and review the facts on our website.
MORE INFO
Feedback
We value your feedback.
Rather than use social media to voice any concerns we urge you to contact us directly by emailing us at venueswestmotorplex@venueswest.wa.gov.au
This will ensure your feedback is captured by us and can be used to achieve the best possible outcome for all.
MORE INFO
