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Pinjarra to benefit from track upgrade

Vermeer wins the Pinjarra Classic earlier this year. The track will be upgraded to enable it to host more meetings. Picture: Hollands Photographics

Racing and Wagering WA intends to fund the construction of a second home bend at Pinjarra in a bid to stave off the loss of meetings during the winter.

The issue of providing safe winter tracks has been a problem for RWWA, with three meetings abandoned in seven weeks at Belmont Park this year.

But WA's governing racing body believes the issue can be addressed for about $2 million.

Former Pinjarra Race Club chairman Keith Jeffreys had previously raised the idea as the most cost-effective way to overcome WA's grass-track woes.

Jeffreys had Dalton Consulting Engineers draw up a plan for a second bend when they rebuilt the Pinjarra course in 2007.

At the time, Jeffreys estimated the new turn could be built for about $500,000.

Pinjarra's 1000m straight course, the first in WA, was another brainchild of Jeffreys.

RWWA has the funds and needs only to acquire a small piece of land from Alcoa to oversee the revamp. The end of the 1000m shute will need to be lifted and new drains dug, with the car parks and public facilities the only other areas requiring an upgrade.

"We looked at the alternatives and decided the Pinjarra option was the most cost-effective," RWWA racing manager Ken Norquay said.

"The shute area has to be lifted and there is a bit of drainage work to be done there.

"There also needs to be some earthworks done for the track to be extended 200m. All up the cost of the project should be around $2 million and we would hope to have the work completed within 12 to 24 months."

Norquay said the second bend would not only provide a longer straight for the 1400m and 1600m starts, but increase Pinjarra's volume of meetings from 26 to more than 30.

"The benefits are going to be numerous," Norquay said.

"Pinjarra is virtually a suburb of Perth now and it will be able to have meetings throughout the year. We just need to tweak when the maintenance work needs to be done. The club is most supportive and the land we need from Alcoa is part of a buffer zone."