Supercars racing under lights on the streets of Surfers Paradise is back on the cards with conversations set to be picked up again.
The concept was originally mooted for 2020 having been given the initial green light by the Queensland Government, which provides a significant chunk of the event’s funding.
However, the Gold Coast event was derailed entirely when the pandemic struck.
Next month’s Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 (October 28-30) will see the street race return to the Supercars calendar for the first time since 2019.
For now, it will be run during the day time, however, championship organisers are eager to pick up where conversations were left off with local stakeholders.
Queensland Tourism and Sport Minister, Stirling Hinchliffe, is also keen to bring the night race to life, however, it is dependent on when additional funding can be allocated.
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“We know motorsport fans and Gold Coast tourism and hospitality operators are thrilled about seeing Supercars back on the famous Gold Coast street circuit for the first time since the pandemic,” Mr Hinchliffe told Speedcafe.com.
“The return of Supercars to the Gold Coast is, in itself, another strong indicator of Queensland’s nation-leading domestic tourism and events recovery from COVID-19.
“The Gold Coast 500 is an incredibly important event for Australia’s favourite holiday and event destination, attracting tens of thousands of motorsport fans to the Gold Coast and contributing a whopping $42 million to the local visitor economy.
“Before the pandemic, night racing at the Gold Coast 500 was actively discussed with event organisers.
“With COVID recovery underway, we’re committed to getting the conversation back on track and seeking the views of local residents and business about what future Supercars events on the Gold Coast might look like.”
Prior to the pandemic, a five-year deal was confirmed for the Gold Coast between Supercars, Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ), and the Queensland Government.
The original plan for the event was to feature 489 light towers around the Surfers Paradise circuit, enabling Supercars to host its first-ever night street race.
It was proposed at the time that all three days of track action would contain some form of night or dusk running, while Sunday’s race would have finished at twilight.
What a night time track schedule would look like now is not known, given the shift away from an enduro format on the Gold Coast to a pair of 250km races for its return this year.
Supercars currently has two floodlit events at Sydney Motorsport Park and Perth’s Wanneroo Raceway.
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