The historic Sandown Park motor racing track in Australia has been saved for the immediate future after being given a reprieve from the developers.
The track, which for more than 60 years has hosted motor racing and horse racing in the same Melbourne suburban location, has had its medium-term future assured after a change in the make-up of the Melbourne Racing board on Thursday.
John Kanga was voted in as the new MRC chairman at a special board meeting, after the resignation of former vice chairman Nick Hassett. The board oversees the horse racing activities at Sandown and other Melbourne horse racing tracks at Caulfield and Mornington.
Kanga and his new board are opposed to selling the 112 hectare site for the development of up to 7000 new homes in the Melbourne suburb of Springvale. Currently houses are located less than 150 metres from the circuit.
These residential development plans had previously threatened the future of the circuit.
As a car and motorcyle racing venue, Sandown has been at the forefront of the sport in Australia since its opening in 1962.
Before Formula 1 came to Adelaide in 1985, Sandown was prominent in the Tasman Series and first hosted the Australian Grand Prix in 1964, when it was won by Jack Brabham.
In 1968 the Sandown GP winner was Jim Clark, in 1972 and '73 (both Graham McRae), 1976 (John Goss) and 1978 (McRae). A temporary extension saw the 3.1km track lengthened to 3.88km so it could host rounds of the World Sportscar Championship in 1984 and 1988.
The track has also hosted the traditional 500km Supercars endurance race, which was won last month by Will Brown and Scott Pye for Triple Eight.
The board changes mean Sandown will avoid the same fate as the Pukekohe Park Raceway in New Zealand.
Motor racing activities at the famous Kiwi circuit ceased in April 2023 after owner Auckland Thoroughbred Racing elected to expand its horse training activities.
It means that New Zealand was absent from the Supercars calendar in 2023, before returning this year with a new event at Taupo International Motorsport Park.
