Irwin shire says Denison Foreshore Sprint cancelled due to safety issues

The Shire of Irwin says the decision to cancel a popular annual street racing event in Port Denison was not one that was taken lightly, citing safety concerns as the issue.

The Denison Foreshore Sprint, which had been a staple of the town’s tourism calendar, was cancelled a month before its seventh edition was set to take place on Sunday, September 22.

It’s estimated the event attracted anywhere between 4000 and 7000 people each year.

The event involved a showcase of classic cars and motorcycles, as well as a 2.5km time trial for cars made before 1985 along Port Denison’s main strip.

But the shire released a statement last Friday that the event had been scrapped after a review of its safety and finances.

Shire president Mark Leonard said safety concerns ultimately led to the cancellation.

“This decision was not made lightly and followed an extensive review into the event’s safety and finances,” he said.

“Regrettably, this review raised issues concerning insurance, liability and most importantly spectator safety and unfortunately even after significant consultation with associated parties, these issues could not be resolved in time for the 2024 event.”

Mr Leonard said the decision was left to the last moment in the hope the event could still take place.

“Shire staff have been working diligently for months with independent assessors to determine if the track met all public safety requirements for endorsement, certification and insurance,” he said.

“Unfortunately, with only a month to go before the event, we have been unable to establish and confirm the insurances required and with our public’s safety a priority, the decision was made to cancel the event.

“The lateness of the announcement was not ideal, but the reason it was late is because council really wanted to get this over the line and we gave as much opportunity as possible to get this event over the line.”

Midwest Show ‘n Shine has been a key feature of the event, with the organisation displaying classic cars and motorcycles on the day.

President Peter Ellis said he was disappointed with how it was handled.

“It’s gut wrenching, to have it done the way it was,” he said.

“It was an eleventh hour type of thing. It really took us by surprise.”

Mr Ellis said the organisation had been running its events for the past 20 years and had everything prepared for next month.

While he acknowledged there were safety concerns, he said the team that ran the sprint portion was qualified and sanctioned.

“Everything’s as safe as it could ever be, we’ve never had a major incident,” he said.

“We really don’t understand it because they didn’t come to us as a collective to discuss it any further.

“If there were issues, we could understand and we could have worked through them or accepted the facts.”

Mr Leonard thanked event organisers for their efforts over the years and said the shire hoped the event could run in 2025 if all the safety issues were resolved.

Concerned residents had an opportunity to express their thoughts at the shire’s council meeting on Tuesday, August 27, after this edition was published.