Hampton Downs tenders close today

[Shaun Harris]

EDIT haha The tender closed today a year ago! You are a sharp cookie Scott


Any one got any idea of how much they are looking for the sale of the track

[scott411]

Any one got any idea of how much they are looking for the sale of the track

they hope to get a bit more than they owe the bank, which is rumoured to be more than 30 mil,

[Shaun Harris]

they hope to get a bit more than they owe the bank, which is rumoured to be more than 30 mil,

wow, best of british to them. I see they also are looking for investors as an alternative to sale and I wonder if there is a ROI that would justify some one doing such a thing as they say the track is booked out for up to 330 days a year and would this generate enough income to satisfy the investor/s

[skippa1]

Any one got any idea of how much they are looking for the sale of the track

We could all put in 5 buck and a bag of chips each

[Grubber]

Dont get me wrong i do like the track, but i have recently been on Highland Park in Cromwell and Hampton is way short of being a great track compared to that.
Get this, only one guy owns Highland Park. How good would it have been to have his money in HD.
Just sayin!

[scott411]

Dont get me wrong i do like the track, but i have recently been on Highland Park in Cromwell and Hampton is way short of being a great track compared to that.
Get this, only one guy owns Highland Park. How good would it have been to have his money in HD.
Just sayin!

the owner (Tony Quinn) was in negotiations to buy Hampton Downs as well, but pulled out an carried on building Highlands,

[buggerit]

I cant understand why they built it on a peat swamp, I would have thought somewhere with a good clay base and close to the railway
would have been good as far as ease of build, ongoing maintainance and public access if you want a good day out and maybe a few drinks

[Shaun Harris]

I cant understand why they built it on a peat swamp, I would have thought somewhere with a good clay base and close to the railway
would have been good as far as ease of build, ongoing maintainance and public access if you want a good day out and maybe a few drinks

The site base perturbs me also

[Shaun Harris]

Dont get me wrong i do like the track, but i have recently been on Highland Park in Cromwell and Hampton is way short of being a great track compared to that.
Get this, only one guy owns Highland Park. How good would it have been to have his money in HD.
Just sayin!

I like the look of Highlands park also, but many a rider has said they think as it is, it would currently be unsafe for motorcycles? what is your oppinion on this, and please put serious though into your feed back mate

[Pumba]

the owner (Tony Quinn) was in negotiations to buy Hampton Downs as well, but pulled out an carried on building Highlands,

As I understand it Tony was in negotiations prior to purchasing the highlands site and consents. The reason he didnt get involved in Hampton was that all the current owners wanted was someone to write a cheque and leave them to it, which is not Tony Quinns style.

THe current owners of Hampton Downs are too emotionly attached to the track so unless they get what the want, or the bank forces the issue (which they may have already) I cant see much changing.

[scott411]

As I understand it Tony was in negotiations prior to purchasing the highlands site and consents. The reason he didnt get involved in Hampton was that all the current owners wanted was someone to write a cheque and leave them to it, which is not Tony Quinns style.

THe current owners of Hampton Downs are too emotionly attached to the track so unless they get what the want, or the bank forces the issue (which they may have already) I cant see much changing.

having had some dealing with the Managemnet of Hampton Downs over a motocross track they were talking about putting in there, you are 100% correct,

[scrivy]

Any one got any idea of how much they are looking for the sale of the track

Prime Minister, John Key, visited Hampton Downs 26 June 09 for an extensive look at the Motorsport Park and drove a circuit of the track.

Mr Key spent 90 minutes talking to Tony Roberts and staff at Hampton Downs and was very interested in the concepts and potential of the Motorsport Park.

Driver training at the circuit and the use of the skid pan is of particular interest to the Government, especially after yesterday’s announcement of the horrific costs ($450 million per year) of motorcycle accidents in New Zealand. From a Motorsport perspective, it was simply great to have our top man take an interest in our sport that has such great potential for tourism and bringing money into the country by hosting international events at a world class venue.

Everything is coming together nicely at Hampton Downs. The attractive lifestyle blocks are completed, with two new roads, Chris Amon Drive and Graham McRae Place being constructed. The flush kerbs and post and rail fencing give quite a lift to the rural landscape and several purchasers are designing new home-stay and lodge accommodation.
Finances are a question that many people ask and we are very pleased that BNZ continues with its ongoing funding for the project. BNZ have just confirmed funding for a further $19 million which will see an operational international circuit, bridge, corporate pavilion, SUV course, skid pan, pit paddock, telecommunications, power, wastewater, drainage, car parks, three-laning of Hampton Downs Rd, industrial buildings, Business Park development etc.


The last paragraph.... how'd they get on with that????

Creative accounting to get a bank loan - it was never going to work.
You need over $4000 a day just to pay the interest on the loan of $30 mil. Then there's all the overheads...... it was doomed before it began at that cost.
But a great photo op with the PM!

[Pumba]

I went to a number of the open days while the track was underconstruction and talked to Tony Roberts several times. IT became clear pretty quickly that he didnt have a clue where the money was coming from to finish the track.

Lwts face it, building a business park in the middle of nowhere with the expectation that people would comute from either Auckland or Hamilton was never going to fly. Not when thier is so much comercial and industrial land avalaible on the outskirts of both those centers (you know where the people already live). It was only going to work for those companies that wanted to use the track EVERY day (that is of course when the could around booking that no doubt took priority).

Getting into a pissing fight with Motorsport NZ has not helped there cause in terms of potential revenue either.

The garages/comercial space and apartments that were ment to be built on the straight after turn one were another folly. Pay me your deposit and we will get right on to building them as soon as another 10 people do the same. Tony Quinn had the better model. Build it and they will come, then we can charge a shit load for the pleasure.

THe Hampton downs team had big dreams and I congratuate them for what they have achieved. But it was/is a house of cards that is funded on goodwill. Sure the GFC has not help as the suger daddies that were ment to come play have got less, but I fail to see how it was ever going to end up in any different situation to the one it has right now.

[HenryDorsetCase]

I like the look of Highlands park also, but many a rider has said they think as it is, it would currently be unsafe for motorcycles? what is your oppinion on this, and please put serious though into your feed back mate

My understanding is that Mr Quinn does not like or want motorbikes on his track, and it hasnt been designed to be safe for bikes. I don't recall ever seeing a photo of a bike on or anywhere near the track.

[Shaun Harris]

Sadly for the current bank loan contract owners, it does look like there is a morgagee sale coming in the very near future