Newcastle, Australia "emerged as the likely replacement for Sydney Olympic Park to take over the season-ending Supercars street race next year," according to Mark Fogarty of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Plans for a waterfront street track in New South Wales' second largest city "are well advanced, with Supercars deep into negotiations to secure state government backing." The bid "is supported by both the Newcastle City Council and Destination NSW, the state's tourism and major events agency which already provides financial assistance for the annual Supercars events at Sydney Motorsport Park, Bathurst and Sydney Olympic Park." Supercars CEO James Warburton confirmed to team owners at a briefing in Townsville on Thursday night that Newcastle "was the favourite to take over the season finale." The Foreshore Park area in Newcastle East "is understood to be the site of the proposed street circuit," which would utilize public roads to create a track of between 3 and 3.5km.
Newcastle "is seen by Supercars as the ideal place for a major street race to end the season because it can attract a large crowd in its own right and also from the surrounding Hunter region." It "is also close enough to draw fans from Sydney," which is 162km to the south (SMH, 7/9).
