Dinosaur music for dinosaur racing

I see that Oz music legend Michael Hutchence's old backing band will be playing at the V8's Reid Park sales expo this year.

There is some sort of beautiful irony about a band that will be on its fifth lead singer (that I can recall at least) since Hutchence's death in ’97 and which had to stoop so low as reality TV to try and kick-start (poor pun, I know) its career again (unsuccessfully so) now playing to petrol-heads at an event for dinosaur vehicles that will be extinct in another 10-15 years (or at least unable to afford the petrol).

INXS haven’t done anything worth listening to in the last 13 years – a bit like dinosaur racing’s contribution to humanity over the same period.

Finally, it's an oldie but a goodie:
     Q: What's the difference between Michael Hutchence and Princess Diana?

     A: Michael Hutchence had his belt on when he died.

Finally! Townsville gets a uefull racing venue

Great news today that, having realised that the $30 million Reed Park race track has within a year turned into a white elephant, Townsville City Council has decided to invest in a race track that is likely to be used 365 days a year – much better value-for-money than the 5 days a year that Les’ memorial dinosaur racing venue used.

Could this be the mansion that the V8’s built?

As we predicted here, it seems that Tony Ireland has been the big beneficiary of the annual dinosaur race and the $30 million spent on what has become a 360-day a year white elephant"

Ireland Holden shifts through gears

The real economics of dinosaur racing

At last, someone has put the lie to all of the hype about the supposed economic benefits of public subsidies for mega sporting events like Townsville’s (for now) annual dinosaur racing extravaganza.

Chris Berg from the Institute of Public Affairs (not exactly my favourite think-tank) writing in nationaltimes.com, points out the shameful secret: the economic benefits of holding mega events are almost entirely fictitious.

It’s about time our local and State politicians fessed-up – public subsidies for dinosaur racing is simply about buying our love (and votes) – and with our own tax money.

What future for the Townsville V8's

Given the morphing of the Gold Coast Indy into the GG V8's you have to wonder what the future of the racing dinosaurs is in Townsville – can Queensland support two events?

And with today’s report in the Bully that The Cowboy’s numbers are down by 30% and recent reports of the difficulties that The NQ Fury are having in attracting anyone to their games or even keeping their sponsors, you have to wonder whether the town has reached the limits of its capacity to support professional sorting events.

Makes John Quiggin’s questioning of Government investments in such event’s even more pertinent.