IT’S official: the Newcastle 500 will not be held in 2024.
V8 Sleuth digs into what else to take from this morning’s news announced by Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes.
What does this mean for the 2024 Supercars calendar?
It’s no secret by now that a 10-day Bathurst festival is firming for February 16-25, starting with the already confirmed GT3-centred 12 Hour and flowing into Round 1 of the Supercars season the following weekend.
Newcastle had been the chief hurdle to next year’s schedule being announced, so if anything, this news clears the path for a full unveiling sooner than later.
Is this the end for the Newcastle 500?
This is probably the biggest question of all right now.
After an initial three-year burst (2017-19) as the annual finale, Newcastle dropped off the calendar in the next three years due to COVID-19 and related complications.
It has been back from the dead once before; can it be revived again?
Both Supercars and the New South Wales government have been vocal in their support of the event, but Newcastle council and residents have been less so.
Council claimed its feasibility studies had revolved around debating a five-year extension, but the Chris Minns-led government said it was only able to offer funding for a single year for now given reductions made to the state’s significant event fund.
Supercars this morning reiterated its commitment to a Newcastle 500 relaunch, with hopes that all parties can agree on a new deal starting as soon as 2025.
Does this spell bad news for other street circuits?
Not necessarily.
The challenges attached to the Newcastle 500 – particularly regarding public backlash – are less prominent in Adelaide, Gold Coast and Townsville.
All three have more than a decade of runs on the board and in the case of Adelaide, the event’s rebirth was actually a core pillar of the South Australian Labor government’s charge to power.
Newcastle’s difficulties might however be front of mind for any potential new street racing opportunities that present, be that at Canberra, Geelong or elsewhere.
What now for Supercars in NSW?
Supercars and the NSW government are known to have had an agreement in place whereby the state hosts three rounds of the championship each year, including the season-opener.
The 2024 Bathurst festival concept is thought to be a creative one-year solution, but how does Supercars go about meeting those needs in future if Newcastle cannot be saved? Or does NSW even lose the season-opener?
Future first rounds could always head to Sydney Motorsport Park for a spectacle under lights, while the Repco Bathurst 1000 is reserved for October.
Beyond that, could the newly rebranded One Raceway (formerly Wakefield Park) or the new Circuit Italia or anything else be options for a third NSW destination?
How will Round 1 at Bathurst look?
There’s plenty to play out here.
How will Supercars maximise the Mountain on the Monday to Thursday between the 12 Hour and its own Round 1?
What kind of format will Supercars run to? The obvious answer is the ‘500’ style, being a 250km race on each of the Saturday and Sunday, as was done at Bathurst in 2021 and at Newcastle this March.
Even if an extra stop at Bathurst is not ideal in some ways, it’s sure to make for a bold start to a 2024 season in which the hope is that summer wind tunnel testing will put the dreaded parity war to bed.
