- Willowbank Raceway in Queensland, Australia, will no longer allow EVs on their dragstrip.
- The announcement cites safety risks, including “the release of toxic and flammable gas.”
- The Aussie dragstrip follows the example of other tracks located in the US and the UK.
EV owners in Queensland, Australia, have just lost access to the Willowbank Raceway dragstrip. The track’s operators have announced a blanket ban on racing and testing of all “road-registered EVs,” citing safety concerns in the event of an accident. Interestingly, the door is still open for vehicles with hybrid powertrains.
Willowbank Raceway, a fixture just outside Ipswich in Queensland since 1985, made the announcement via a press release that left no room for interpretation. Effective immediately, electric vehicles are persona non grata on the strip. The reasoning? The track’s owners referenced guidelines from Motorsport Australia, NEDRA, and various emergency response protocols, concluding that EVs present risks they aren’t equipped to manage.
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“After careful consideration and investigation, Willowbank Raceway has decided that we can no longer allow road-registered Fully Electric Vehicles to race or test at Willowbank Raceway,” said the track’s owner in a statement.
“We have been reviewing the regulations from Motorsport Australia, NEDRA, as well as the emergency response procedures for specific vehicles and after information provided by these departments, we have determined that the risks associated with racing and testing Electric Vehicles are too high,” the company added.
The announcement mentions the following safety concerns:
- The battery may release toxic and flammable gas after a collision
- First Responders may not be able to confirm that the car is “off”
- Doors may not unlock from the outside after a collision
- If the driver is unconscious after an incident (including a medical incident) there is a chance that the chassis is live and removing the driver would put the responders at risk
- The car may not roll with the power disconnected and towing the car with our current equipment would be impossible
- Electric vehicles require specific fire suppression systems such as water baths.
While these points are valid to an extent, some feel they only tell part of the story. For instance, certain internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles with electric door latches face the same post-crash unlocking issues. And what about electrified supercars like the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, McLaren Artura, or Lamborghini Revuelto? These vehicles include EV modes yet seem to escape the scrutiny leveled at their fully electric counterparts.
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In any case, the track’s comments highlight that handling incidents involving EVs often requires specialized training and equipment. The same applies to EV fires. Although recent studies show that EVs are significantly less likely to catch fire compared to ICE or hybrid vehicles, their ever-igniting battery cells present a much more complex challenge.
As reported by Australia’s Drive.com.au, the decision has sparked a predictable mix of reactions online. Some EV owners suspect foul play, joking that drivers of ICE-powered cars were simply “tired of getting smoked” by torque-laden Teslas and other EVs in drag races. Others were happy about the change, as they prefer watching races between V8-powered Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons compared to “racing electrical appliances”.
It’s worth noting that Willowbank isn’t the first track to take this stance. Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia implemented a similar ban on EVs in 2023, and Anglesey Circuit in Wales followed suit earlier in 2024. However, both of those tracks extended the ban to include hybrid vehicles—a move that at least avoids the selective logic currently in place at Willowbank.