TIRED of screeching wheels? Then don't let this petition come up doughnuts.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Gunnedah couple Samantha Simpson and Jack Bailey have started a petition for a burnout pad to be opened in Gunnedah, with the aim of getting drivers to stop hooning around local streets.
Ms Simpson said she already has over 60 people willing to sign the petition.
Reopening the burnout pad at the Gunnedah Speedway is an option that has been flagged by the community.
"We would need to find somewhere for a decent location not too close to town as for noise, we don't want to annoy the local people in town," Ms Simpson said.
"There is so many people in this town who drive around doing burnouts on our local everyday streets and it's super dangerous," she said.
"So if there was somewhere for people to go and do burnouts it will hopefully stop them doing it on a local street.
"I do know it won't stop every single person from doing burnouts on local roads but I do believe it will help with a big percentage."
It's an idea that is backed by Tamworth Drag Racing Association president Bill Ausling.
He said in order to have a burnout competition up and running, it needs to be in the correct area, and it needs to be financially viable.
Read also:
"I know they had burnouts run for many years out at Blue Vale Road at the Gunnedah Speedway, but whether that's viable again doing it now comes down to its location and the size of the pad and the interest," he added.
"There's so many factors, like with any business - you have to make sure the money you're going to spend can be returned through the sport."
Tamworth currently has a burnout pad which is run in conjunction with their speedway track, which is undergoing extensions to make it bigger and better, a process that could be finished within a month and a half if everything goes to plan.
"I'm quite interested in helping people and I know people over there would like to make it happen, it's been on the back of my mind for some time," Mr Ausling added.
He said burnout pads have been proven to get people off the streets in the past, with success stories coming from areas like Sydney.
"They opened the drag strip in Sydney around 15 years ago, something that was brought into play by the Lions Club for that exact reason, to get people off the streets," he said.
"It was drag racing and it became a burnout pad.
"It will never stop them all but the people that want to enjoy it will actually have somewhere to do it so they're not jeopardising other people's safety."