The Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA) is pleased to announce that the Sunraysia Drag Racing Association (SDRA) has been awarded a $500,000 grant as part of the Victorian Government’s Community Motorsport Program.
SDRA worked with ANDRA and the Mildura Rural City Council to apply for the grant, which is being delivered by Sport and Recreation Victoria (SRV) as part of the Victorian Government’s first dedicated motorsport investment program.
Participation in the program is limited to applications from motorsport clubs and organisations that are currently affiliated with Motorsport Australia or Motorcycling Victoria or its delegated bodies, such as ANDRA.
SDRA President, Kingsley Kuchel, explained the funds will be used to undertake upgrades to the popular Mildura facility.
“We at the Sunraysia Drag Racing Association are so grateful our application for funding to perform some facility upgrades has been successful,” Mr Kuchel said.
“The funding will be used in a few key areas which include a short barrier extension in the runoff and a new first return road entrance, as well as for the repairing of bitumen in areas that have degraded over time – including areas on the return road, pit areas and staging lanes.
“We are also going to be sealing more surfaces in the pit area which will allow us to get more entrants off the dirt and onto sealed ground. Finally, one of the major upgrades will be a new Toilet and Shower block to be built near where our new pit sealing will be completed, which will help ease the strain of only having one major amenities block in the pits.
“These upgrades will help us move forward in the future to be able to handle bigger entrant numbers and at certain events – such as for Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series rounds and our Easter Supercharged Shootout Event – give better flexibility with handling the larger transporters which attend.
“The projects we will be completing with this funding are definitely going to be such a huge help to our Club in bringing us to the next level and the Club is excited to see the developments come to life over the next 12-18 months.
“This application was a huge process. I must thank the Mildura Rural City Council for seeing the opportunity we presented to them as a positive for not just our Club but also for our community. We are extremely grateful they agreed to support us and will provide ongoing support while the infrastructure upgrades are completed.”
Mildura Council Mayor, Jason Modica, said Council was proud to partner with ANDRA and the Victorian Government to further support organised drag racing in Sunraysia.
“The Sunraysia Drag Racing Association has an enviable record of hosting some of the biggest one-eighth mile drag racing events in the country and it’s great to be able to play a role in supporting further upgrades at the Sunset Strip for the benefit of both local racers and those larger events,” Cr Modica said.
While applications for the Infrastructure Upgrades and Equipment Category funding have now closed, applications for the program’s Motorsport Club Assistance Category remain open. The Motorsport Club Assistance Category funding provides grants up to $20,000 to support safety and operational equipment; build club capacity through volunteer and officials training; increase junior, women and girls’ participation; and host events and activities. Applications for rounds two, three and four of the Motorsport club Assistance Category funding close on 21 June 2021, 21 December 2021 and 30 June 2022 respectively. For full guidelines on the application process, please click here.
ANDRA Chief Executive Officer Brett Stevens said he was excited to see the new upgrades come to life.
“The support for Victorian clubs by Sport and Recreation Victoria is greatly appreciated,” Mr Stevens said.
“Like any sporting venue, SDRA has a long list of things they would like to achieve, and this funding will allow them to complete a number of exciting projects over the next 18 months to the benefit of the Club, its racers and its local community.
“With funding for the Motorsport Club Assistance Category still open, we encourage any Victorian-based clubs to put in their applications before the deadlines and if they need any help or advice, to reach out to the ANDRA team.”
For more information about the SDRA, visit www.sunsetstrip.org.au
For more from ANDRA, visit www.andra.com.au
For more on the SRV’s Community Motorsport program, please click here.
