Australian motorsport legend and five-time V8 Supercar champion Mark Skaife has given his professional stamp of approval for the revised street course to be used for this year’s new Gold Coast SuperCarnviale circuit on October 22-24.
Skaife met with SuperCarnivale General Manager Shane Howard and event engineering boss, John Howe, this morning to go over the changes to the track, which will see it reduced it from 4.47km to 2.8km while still retaining the characteristics that make it one of the most spectacular street courses in the world.
The SuperCarnivale, promoted by V8 Supercar Events with major support from the Queensland Government, celebrates the 20th anniversary of motor racing on the streets of Australia’s greatest tourism playground.
With track design experience on New Zealand’s Hamilton street race plus design responsibility for both the Armor All Townsville 400 and the Sydney Telstra 500, the five-time national champion and Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 winner was the obvious choice when it came to input on the redesign process.
The shortening of the track reduces construction and dismantling time by five weeks – reducing inconvenience for local residents.
“I am very excited to be here and to be having input on the racing and safety aspects of the new-look Surfers Paradise street circuit,” said Skaife, who secured podium positions in V8 Supercar events on the Gold Coast in 2003 and 2005.
“I never missed a race here on the Gold Coast until I retired at the end of 2008 and I hold some great memories from what is one of the most challenging racing events on the V8 Supercars calendar.
“We have looked at the maps and engineering aspects of the track and physically walked sections of it this morning. With this shortening plus the inclusion of new grandstands and General Admission areas, the famous atmosphere of this event will be enhanced, and there will be even more action for the on-track spectators to see with the V8 Supercars going around the track more than in the past.
“I think the fans and the racers alike will be very happy with this new design, and I personally can’t wait to see the V8 Supercars, along with their international drivers, charging around the streets of Surfers Paradise during the 20th year celebrations.”
Event General Manager, Shane Howard, was delighted with Skaife’s feedback.
“The beauty of this event is that we have a great team of people working on it who are the best in their respective fields and when it comes to racing experience and track design and safety, there is none better than Mark Skaife,” said Howard.
“Mark has pointed out a few things to us this morning which we will go away and work on, but overall the shorter track and the new grandstand and general admission areas we have proposed provide a win for the fans, the teams, the residents and the taxpayers.
“We have taken Mark’s suggestions on board and will be working with John Howe and his team at Integrated Event Delivery Management (IEDM) to make a few tweaks before the final track is released, but overall I think it will be fantastic.”
The 2010 Gold Coast SuperCarnivale, to be held over three days, Friday October 22 to Sunday October 24, will see each regular V8 Supercar team linked with an international driver for the third endurance event of the V8 Supercar Championship Series calendar.
Racing for championship points, the event will see two 300km races complete with driver, fuel and tyre stops held over the Saturday and Sunday of the event, while the rest of the Gold Coast comes alive with entertainment both on and off the track in the tradition of Queensland’s largest motor racing festival.
ABOUT THE GOLD COAST SUPERCARNIVALE
The 2010 Gold Coast SuperCarnivale will be held over three days October 22-24. Promoted by V8 Supercar Events with tremendous support from the Queensland Government, the event enters its 20th year in 2010 and will see the Gold Coast come alive with an action-packed entertainment schedule both on and off the racetrack.
Twenty-nine regular V8 Supercar drivers will take to the track accompanied by 18 international guest racers (one per each V8 Supercar ‘team’) for the third endurance event of the 2010 V8 Supercar season, which will be the highlight of three days and nights of action attracting a massive crowd from around Australia and the rest of the world.
With the event held at the “business end” of the championship chase, the atmosphere of Queensland’s largest event is sure to be electric, while images of this great event will be beamed around the globe.
