Supercars chief executive James Warburton says Saturday’s family day at Foreshore Park will demonstrate how much the Hunter community has embraced the November street race.
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Supercars expects between 5000 and 10,000 people on the Foreshore as Hunter residents get their first opportunity to buy tickets to the Newcastle 500.
Organisers hope for a crowd of up to 150,000 across the three-day race weekend, a figure based on Newcastle’s population and the “drive window” of people within comfortable travelling distance of the track, which includes much of Sydney.
“I think there’ll be a lot of people buying tickets for friends and mates,” Warburton said on Friday. “We also find there’s a fair degree of people buying bundles.
“There’s a lot of Facebook activity where people are saying, ‘Can you buy me one?’”
The official Newcastle track map shows the positioning of six grandstands, three of which are clustered near the hairpin in Nobbys reserve. The others are at the start and end of the main straight in Wharf Road.
The map shows a “beach club” in Fletcher Park, opposite Newcastle Police Station, a “beach villa” and “Moet Ice beach bar” above Newcastle surf club, and a “hairpin villa” at Nobbys.
It also places two entry gates in Wharf Road and outside the police station, and three pedestrian bridges over the track at Hunter Street, Wharf Road and outside Nobbys surf club.
Warburton said Supercars was working through a list of concerns from individuals, most of them regarding access during the race.
“What we’ve got is approximately, and the number will fluctuate with more coming in and some dropping out, 140 logged, effectively, complaints, if you like, which then we work through.
“Some are access, some are medical. We just work through every single one.
“We won’t change people’s minds if people don’t want the race here. But I’ve got to say that, even some of those areas, it’s still overwhelmingly positive. It’s more in terms of how it’s directly affecting a business or a residence.
“There’s a few key people that continually are campaigning a cause, but tomorrow is an important day to actually see that the community is behind it.”
Track building was due to start this month but has been delayed until the end of May or start of June due to “additions” and “variations” to the civil works program.
“It’s the first time in 20 years, really, that a new street circuit has been developed in this country. The grand prix was 16, 17 years ago in Melbourne,” Warburton said. “The first year is always by far and away the most difficult.”
Saturday’s event includes a static display of the Hot Wheelz Stunt Team, Disney’s Mack Truck, autograph sessions with drivers and race-car displays.
