The Kaikoura Business Association says the infamous Undie 500 is not welcome there.
The annual car rally from Christchurch to Dunedin was cancelled after rioting last year.
However, University of Canterbury Engineering Society president Michael Cook says the Undie 500 can be run safely. He has asked Kaikoura District Council if it's willing to host it.
But Kaikoura Business Association chair Stephan Rattray says even well-run events, like the town's seafest, attract a fringe group of trouble makers.
He says if a city the size of Dunedin can't contain the Undie 500, there's no way a small town like Kaikoura can cope.
