NEWCASTLE will replace Sydney as host of the season-ending V8 Supercars race from next year.
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Premier Mike will make the long-anticipated announcement during a visit to Newcastle on Tuesday, unveiling a “picturesque” East End street race that will take in some of the city’s iconic landmarks including Nobbys Beach and Fort Scratchley.
“The Hunter has thousands of Supercars fans who now have an event to call their own,” Mr Baird said.
“The Coates Hire Newcastle 500 will be the first Supercars race ever held in Newcastle and is another major event secured for Regional NSW.”
He said the five-year commitment to the race is expected to inject more than $57 million to the Hunter region and attract 81,000 visitors from Australia and overseas.
The deal to bring the race to the city has been the subject of speculation for months. This year’s finale at Sydney Olympic Park will be the last race at the track, and while Newcastle was rumoured to be in poll position to take over, a number of venues including at Wollongong and Gosford had also been in the mix.
In July Newcastle City Council endorsed a partnership with tourism body Destination NSW to bid for the race.
Earlier this month Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes set tongues wagging when she appeared to make a veiled reference to hosting the race on social media, Tweeting “vrrroom vrrroom” with a chequered flag emoji.
Supercars Chief Executive James Warburton welcomed what he said would be “an unforgettable event for Newcastle”.
“The Coates Hire Newcastle 500 will be a spectacular event that will showcase Newcastle to a huge national and international audience and be a fitting finale to the … Supercars Championship,” he said.
While the exact route will be the subject of community consultation before being locked in, the preferred course includes a loop past Horseshoe and Nobbys Beaches, climbing past Fort Scratchley and into the East End through Telford, Pacific and Watt Streets.
The proposed route also appears to cut through the middle of Pacific Park and Nobbys Beach Reserve.
The race straight will be on Wharf Road; already closely associated with the Newcastle cultural touchstone of vehicle evangelists ogling hotted-up cars.
The 2017 season will feature changes to the competition allowing turbo-charged, six or four cylinder engines. Announcing the change in 2014, Supercars assured fans the cars would remain “loud and high powered”.
The inaugural Supercars race in Newcastle will be in November next year.
