Mick Doohan Raceway in Banyo, the northside dirt track that spent over four decades carving out the careers of world-class riders, has officially closed its gates. The sprawling 22.66-hectare site is now on the market, marking the end of an era for a venue that was a permanent fixture of the Brisbane motorsport landscape.
The closure has triggered a groundswell of community feeling across Queensland’s motorsport networks, amplified by an online grassroots campaign launched by Nomad Dirt Culture drawing attention to what has been lost and what may follow.
For those who raced there, spectated from the hillside, or simply grew up knowing the place was part of the northside landscape, the news has landed hard.
“Goodbye Mick Doohan Raceway,” wrote one longtime motorsport media contributor. “A vital part in speedway for decades, launched countless careers, created memories for all.”
A track that shaped riders
The North Brisbane Junior Motorcycle Club managed the raceway for more than four decades through a series of short-term lease arrangements, building a venue with a 450-metre dirt track and a separate 300-metre speedway circuit that hosted everything from junior club racing to major open events drawing national-level competitors.
The venue took its name from Michael ‘Mick’ Doohan, the Brisbane-born motorcycle racer who won five consecutive 500cc World Championships between 1994 and 1998, dominating the sport in a way that had not been seen before and has not been matched since.
Doohan grew up in Kuraby and competed locally before rising through the ranks of international road racing. Naming the Banyo facility after him was an acknowledgement of the track’s ambitions for the riders who would come through it.
Those ambitions proved well-founded. MotoGP racer Jack Miller was a regular at the track in recent years, competing in the North Brisbane Cup alongside top-level speedway talent. Events promoted by Darcy Ward brought the track’s profile to a national audience and drew crowds that reflected genuine community appetite for the sport.
Former junior racers including John Lytras, Harrison Voight and Billy Van Eerde moved through the ranks there before progressing to road racing nationally.
The final meeting on 6 December 2025 drew 135 riders and included the last running of the North Brisbane Cup, a parade lap of past and present members, and a tribute to the Cameron Pritchard Cup, a junior competition established to honour a young club member who had died.
The site is now for sale
BCC is now offloading the 22.66-hectare freehold parcel, which includes roughly 180,000 square metres of usable land. The sale is being handled via an expression of interest campaign that wraps up on 26 May 2026. The marketing material highlights the site’s proximity to major arterial roads and Brisbane Airport, a clear signal that the land is being pitched for its industrial and logistics potential.
The raceway sits surrounded on three sides by industrial buildings, with the Southern Cross Way and Gateway Motorways forming its southern boundary. It is a stone’s throw from the Triple Eight Race Engineering headquarters. Its geography makes it a strong industrial or logistics proposition, which is part of why its loss to motorsport feels irreversible.
Two venues down, one in the works
The Banyo closure compounds an already difficult period for Brisbane-based speedway. Archerfield Speedway, which had been a cornerstone of Queensland motorsport for decades, closed in 2023. Two venues gone within two years leaves a significant void in the pathway infrastructure that junior riders depend on to develop and compete.
The most tangible hope for a replacement facility sits about 50 kilometres north. A planned speedway and motocross venue at Beachmere, near Caboolture, has lodged a Ministerial Infrastructure Designation proposal to facilitate its construction. That process is ongoing, and no confirmed timeline for construction or opening has been established.
For the North Brisbane Junior Motorcycle Club, the search for a new home continues. Anyone with information about potential venues or who wants to support the club’s efforts can follow the Nomad Dirt Culture campaign on Facebook or contact the North Brisbane Junior Motorcycle Club through nbjmcc.com.au.
Published 4-May-2026
