For 14 years the Tamworth Sporting Car Club has kept the Tamworth Hillclimb dream alive, albeit on a flat track, although all that might be about to change after Tamworth Regional Council put a smooth surface on the old track.
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Last week TRC completed a much-needed upgrade of Scenic road, leading up to the Oxley Lookout, the very same road that one of the state’s best hill climb events took place from 1957 until 2003.
At that stage the race was abandoned for a number of reasons according to Tamworth Sporting Car Club vice president Matt Halpin.
Mr Halpin hadn’t considered a racing return to the hill a possibility since 2003, that was until he laid eyes on the smooth mix surface laid down by TRC last week as part of the major upgrade works.
“I was blown away when I saw it, we didn’t know they were doing the entire road,” Mr Halpin said.
“We have always had the thought of returning, years ago the hill was covered in people watching and it was bringing drivers in from all over – it was considered one of the best hill climbs around.”
In 2003 the Confederation of Australian Motorsport, revoked the race license, citing the deteriorating state of the road, as well as the rock wall on the outside of the road being deemed too low.
“We are having a meeting next week and will discuss the possibility of a return,” Mr Halpin said.
“A lot of people are starting to talk about it and we would love it to come back, although those events take a lot of manpower and a lot of work, at the moment we are focussed on Oakburn Park.”
Chair of the Tamworth Motorsport Association Warwick Steed was in the same boat.
“It was a very competitive track, and we would like to see a return to the hillclimb, but I think it is a bit of a romantic idea, our number one priority at the moment is the expansion at Oakburn Park,” Mr Steed said.
The $2 million development will include a new circuit racing track, a drag strip, as well as updated facilities and amenities.
TRC’s Acting Manager Horticulture and Recreation Murray Russell said that while there is no plans to upgrade the rock wall at this stage “council would be happy to engage in discussion with user groups about how some of these issues might be managed to achieve a positive outcome.”
“Council will always try to be supportive of activities that provide a wider benefit to the community. In doing so, it will always be important to consider safety risks, and the impact of the event on other users,” he said.
