V8 Supercars Driver Mark Winterbottom Gushes About Newcastle Circuit

V8 Supercars driver Mark Winterbottom "has only seen the proposed Newcastle street circuit in its rawest form but is already gushing about the possibilities," according to Barry Toohey of the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. Newcastle will host the championships' annual finale for the next five years from November, "ending Sydney’s seven-year stranglehold on the event." And Winterbottom "is already predicting it will become one of Supercars' marquee races." He said, "It’s the finale so it’s going to be a massive event anyway. But to be able to replace Sydney with an event that’s on par or probably even bigger is really exciting." The three drivers "were taken for a sneak peek of the likely street circuit layout on Tuesday" which takes in the CBD and some of the city’s best landmarks, including Nobbys Beach and Fort Scratchley. Winterbottom said, "It’s a true street race. You are racing smack bang through the buildings so there’ll be lots of noise and lots of activity" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 9/27).