29/2/2024
Thank you
Please join us at the track reopening on Sunday March 10
Go karts will again be heard roaring around the track in Hopetoun, 30 years after the last official race at the track. The reopening planned for March 10th follows over 2 years of hard work by club members to restore the track to its former glory.
As most great ideas do, it all started over a beer in the pub when a couple of blokes decided to buy karts and have a bit of fun on the old track 4 kilometres west of Hopetoun. Someone else overheard and said they’d join, and then word soon spread so much that there was enough interest to reform the Southern Mallee Kart Club which had been in hibernation since 1994.
The next step was then working out how you restore a track that hasn’t been used in 30 years up to current standards. That’s where the Hopetoun community and surrounding towns stepped in. We’re incredibly thankful for all the donations and assistance that we were inundated with when we started working on the track.
Materials, equipment and willing volunteers weren’t hard to come by as everything got an update. Incredibly toilet blocks, fencing, gravel, lawn mowers, concrete and even some grandstand seating were all donated to the cause, not to mention all the equipment that nearly lived at the track, and all the volunteers who gave up their time. With a little help from some grant funding, the community have so far contributed around $290,000 to the track redevelopment since January 2022.
And so karts will officially be on track on March 10 as the club holds a social practice day. But it won’t just be locals getting into the sport for the first time in earnest – the independent model adopted by the club means that racers will be travelling from as far as Mildura, Geelong and everywhere in between thanks to the cheaper karting on offer. The model employed so successfully at Geelong Kart Club means that karting will be drawing in extra visitation to Hopetoun, a town of 690 people.
And we couldn’t have done it without you.
The social practice day planned for Sunday March 10 marks the completion of stage 1 of the track redevelopment. The club is inviting all previous members of the Southern Mallee and Hopetoun kart clubs to cut the ribbon as the track is reopened. We also invite you, our very generous supporters, to come along and enjoy watching karts go around the track again, enjoy some lunch and maybe a beer or 2 afterwards.
The day so far looks like this:
Sunday 10th March
- Track walk at 10am showing what has been done at the track over the last 2 year
- Reopening at 10:30am
- Karts on track at 11am
Northern Loch Recreation Reserve, Hopetoun-Yaapeet Rd
Hopetoun Vic 3396
Members will also set now their sites on the remaining infrastructure required to hold races again, meaning that the Southern Mallee Titles can return, and perhaps even the newly established AASA Victorian State Championship.
Finally, we once again want to thank you for your contributions and continued support over the last 2 years making the dream of getting the track going again a reality. We really appreciate what the whole community has done and think it will be a great addition to the region.
Thank you
Members of the Southern Mallee Kart Club
PS. If you would like to RSVP to assist with catering, or get more information, please contact Tom Huf on 0427 620 422.
Great job to all you guys from Bill Atherden