By NANCY COOK LAUER
By NANCY COOK LAUER
Stephens Media
A racing club that was seeing its event sideswiped by a politically connected concert won back its event dates in a deal reached this week with the county Department of Parks and Recreation.
The dispute, brought to light last month by Stephens Media, erupted after the Big Island Auto Club was denied a date it had reserved in October to prepare the track at Hilo Motor Speedway for the April 21-22 sanctioned points race the club has held annually for more than 40 years.
The benefit for The Food Basket draws racers from all over the Big Island, as well as Oahu and Maui, said club board member Bear Barrilleaux. The race has drawn national attention, including participation by Volkswagen Magazine.
Instead, the county had allowed a Big Island Massive Reggae concert and voter-awareness rally at the track April 20, promoted by SCC Productions and local promoter Alton Nosaka, a United Public Workers business agent in Hilo.
“We sat down with both groups and worked it out,” Parks and Recreation Director Bob Fitzgerald said Friday. “It’s just good that they could work it out.”
Concert promoters have agreed to move their venue to the fairgrounds area outside the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. The for-profit event will be drug- and alcohol-free and features nonprofit food vendors. Admission is $10.
“They wanted an outdoor scenario,” Fitzgerald said about the promoters’ agreement to move to the alternate site. He said it was previously thought that the Civic Auditorium was booked by B.J. Penn for that date.
The club says it needs that Friday before the racing weekend to clean, dry and dress the quarter-mile short track, a four-hour process that requires washing, sweeping and rubberizing. In addition, racers and vendors use that Friday afternoon to set up tents and tables and stage and prepare their racing cars and equipment. Several Kona members stay overnight at the track to provide security, Barrilleaux said.
Barrilleaux had predicted traffic jams, especially for the big trailers that carry the race cars. And he wondered how the liability insurance the club holds for Friday would be affected by the concert.
Fitzgerald has said he feared the auto club has over the years gotten into a sense of entitlement over the facility. He said the club’s request for a deposit, and its use of the grounds for “camping” are indications of problems.
Council Chairman Dominic Yagong got involved as mediator at the club’s request and last month took a tour of the facility with Auto Club members and Stephens Media.
The Auto Club will advertise the concert’s venue change in its ads for the race, said Barrilleaux, adding that he realizes the promoters probably lost money as a result of the venue change.
“The Big Island Auto Club is satisfied with the outcome that the Auto Club and the county and the reggae promoters could come to a mutual agreement,” said Barrilleaux. “It all worked out. We have no problems with it.”
Email Nancy Cook Lauer at ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com.