CONSTRUCTION progress has been reported at Circuit Italia, at a time when the hunt for a new Supercars venue in New South Wales is picking up pace.
Running a second Supercars round at Bathurst, as the 2024 season-opener last month, drew a mixed reception.
With the Newcastle East Street Circuit appearing to have been permanently killed off, that has left NSW with just two Supercars-standard venues – despite the fact it’s widely believed that an agreement is in place for the state to host three annual rounds.
A ‘Wine Country 500’ event in Cessnock has been mooted, and last weekend’s Canberra Festival of Speed has reignited discussion about a street event in the nation’s capital. Wakefield Park has also been revamped and rebranded as One Raceway.
There is no certainty to any of those actually becoming a Supercars prospect though, whereas Circuit Italia is slowly coming along and is destined to be an FIA Grade 2-level venue.
Circuit Italia manager Damien White yesterday offered a brief update on the precinct’s build via social media.
“Finally! The last of 2,995 posts and 4,510 lengths of Armco rail has been installed,” he wrote.
“Now it’s on to making her pretty.”
The privately funded 3.1km circuit is located in the Port Stephens region and just 14km from Newcastle Airport.
The Newcastle region was last year flagged by then Motorsport Australia CEO Eugene Arocca as a suitable location for a new government-backed facility, similar to what is being planned for Avalon in Victoria.
While Adelaide holds the rights to the annual Supercars finale until 2026, the home of the season-opener is currently undecided for next year.
