If it happened on a suburban street it would be considered hooning, but on a designated track, the controlled driving technique known in motorsports as “drifting” is legal.
More than 20,000 people have petitioned Brisbane City Council to save Queensland’s only dedicated drift park from a “ridiculous” council decision that would force it to close its doors next month.
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The Archerfield Drift Park in Brisbane’s south, which is operated in the car park of the Archerfield Speedway, has been hosting drifting events on the purpose-built asphalt track for at least four years.
But in recent months the council has ordered the speedway to stop using the space for anything other than car parking by the end of January, citing noise complaints and zoning approvals at the venue.
Speedway owner John Kelly said council had found a “loophole” to stop him from hiring out the area at his discretion.
“They’ve been pursuing us for a number of years on any technicality to do with noise,” he said.
“They’ve now found a loophole — saying ‘your carpark can’t be used for anything else but a carpark because that’s what was put in place in 1978’.
“It’s going to open up a can of worms for a lot of businesses throughout Brisbane who utilise their carpark for more than just parking.”
The manager of the drift park, Luke Fink, who leased the area from Mr Kelly, said he was “devastated”, and the decision would ultimately force them to close.
“For years we’ve been doing this, with the council being fully aware that we’re doing this, so why now? It doesn’t make any sense,” he said.
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