This humanpowered vehicle (HPV) ‘Fire Truck’, designed and built at Berwick Secondary College, will be one of the vehicles racing at the new criterium track. From left: Cranbourne MP Jude Perera, Bicycle Association South East president Tony Marchant, Berwick Secondary College HPV rider Richard Paton and HPV coach Terry Trevena.CASEY mayor Kevin Bradford said the council was proud and excited about building Casey Fields at Cranbourne, one of the most comprehensive and modern sporting facilities in Australia.
The council has good reason to be proud of this emerging $30 million sports centre and also of the new criterium track that on Saturday was officially added to the complex.
Cr Bradford officially opened the 2.2 kilometre circuit and said it was the first of its kind in Victoria and designed for all levels of competition.
Most of the facilities at the complex have been fairly runofthemill items for cricket, football, netball, and tennis as would be expected on such a large area of land. But the bikeracing track was a real winner that came ‘out of the blue’ for Casey.
The track is an asset for the southeast region of Melbourne and, for that matter, Victoria.
Closure of Waverley Park in 2002 meant competitive cyclists in the eastern suburbs lost a major facility. The cycling clubs, led by the veteran bike riders, set up the Bicycle Association South East (BASE) to identify a possible site to cater for circuit racing and to reestablish.
This led to a $500,000 State Government grant toward a track at Casey Fields.
The council combined this and the enormous potential of the emerging humanpowered vehicle (HPV) racing and found good reason to build the milliondollar criterium track on Casey Fields.
One thousand bike riders a week are expected to use the track and the Casey Cardinia HPV Club is already planning a major 24hour event on the circuit.
Positive benefits from this facility at Casey Fields will permeate throughout the wider community.
