Sale of Western Springs’ safety fence shocks fans still hoping to save iconic speedway

The safety fence and lights from Western Springs Speedway are to be sold, making disappointed fans wonder if it is the first step in relocating the iconic Auckland racetrack.

Concerns were raised by the speedway community last week when the track's promoter, Bruce Robertson, listed the equipment on TradeMe for $350,000.

The listing says the equipment “must be removed by purchaser within 14 days after the grand final Western Springs meeting on March 22, 2025".

After years of discussion, Auckland councillors voted 11-8 in October to relocate the track to Waikaraka Park in Onehunga, budgeting $11 million for upgrades.

However, the sale of the fence has been criticised by TradeMe commenters, who pointed out court action may yet stop the  relocation of the speedway.

Robertson told Te Waha Nui his time at Western Springs was over. “The reason the fence is being sold is because my lease has come to an end. I need to move on. I've got other things I need to do in my life.”

Robertson said he was surprised he hadn't been approached by the Save Our Speedway group about the equipment.

“If you are going to keep the speedway going, you are going to need that expensive safety fence,” he said.

Robertson said the buyer could likely be somebody with a vision to keep Western Springs running.

He said three groups had shown interest. Two were building speedway tracks and another was an existing track.

“It is a very sad day that Western Springs has been forced to close,” he said.

Ex-speedway promoter Bill Buckley sold the safety fence to Robertson when Robertson’s lease began in 2020.

According to Leon Patchett, who works for Buckley Systems LTD and helped build the fence, it was “purposely designed for open-wheel racing to be more of a catch fence than a safety fence".

“The old fence was quite dangerous for the drivers. That’s why Bill [Buckley] rebuilt the fence to make it safer. He spent a lot of time designing it to make it safer for the drivers,” said Patchett.

He said although the fence was purpose-built for the cars at Western Springs, the fence could easily be put into another track and it was unlikely the equipment would be used for anything but speedway.

Bids are yet to be placed for the fence, and the future of the equipment and track is yet to be finally determined.