The Western Springs Speedway saga has ramped up another gear, with the sport's organiser lashing out at the Auckland Council.
Speedway's lease is set to end at the venue, and it's now being told it won't be renewed.
Bill Buckley has run the speedway at Western Springs for almost two decades. He says he has finally had enough of officials putting the brakes on his sport.
"Do they ever take their kid to speedway? Do they ever contemplate racing there? No, the pricks don't have enough balls to try."
Mr Buckley's frustration follows jubilation just months ago.
- Western Springs Speedway to be repurposed into a cricket ground
- Racecourse sale puts beloved Avondale markets under threat
The council and Speedway agreed the sport's new home would be at Colin Dale Park in Wiri, south Auckland.
At the time, Mr Goff celebrated the decision.
"There is a new home and a new heart for speedway in Auckland. Not for the next five or 10 years, but into the long-term future", he said last June.
But that deal was actually a memorandum of understanding with no guarantees. The council didn't vote in favour of it, instead delaying a decision until April.
In the meantime, Regional Facilities Auckland, a council-controlled group, has told Speedway their lease is up.
So now it has nowhere to go for next season, and no guarantees it will have anywhere at all.
"Well it's an unjust deal that we've got, and we've been treated like shit since 2004," Mr Buckley said.
Deputy Mayor Bill Cashmore supports the move, and says he will ask other councillors to support it as well. He told Newshub he wants a solution for Mr Buckley and speedway fans.
Despite that, he admits the memorandum of understanding was never a 'done deal'.
"This was a memorandum of understanding between Bill Buckley and the council about moving forward. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees in politics, sadly."
Speedway's future now comes down to a council vote in April. That could see funding approved for the sport to move, or it could see funding rejected, leaving speedway homeless.
But Mr Cashmore has revealed the council could force Regional Facilities Auckland to let Speedway stay until a venue is secured. That could in turn delay plans to build a cricket stadium at Western Springs.
Speedway's last hurrah at Western Springs is supposed to take place next Saturday night, but not if Mr Buckley has anything to do with it.
"They're [Regional Facilities Auckland] going to change their mind, because we're running here next season, if we don't have Colin Dale Park."
Newshub.
