Mark Skaife has given the revised Gold Coast SuperCarnviale street course the thumbs up.
Skaife met with SuperCarnivale General Manager Shane Howard and event engineering boss John Howe at the Surffers Paradise track today to go over the changes to the track which will see it reduced it from 4.47km to 2.8km.
The SuperCarnivale, promoted by V8 Supercar Events with major support from the Queensland Government, celebrates the 20th anniversary this year and will feature a unique V8 Supercar endurance event, incorporating international drivers with the regular teams.
Skaife has been an integral part of designing new V8 Supercar tracks in recent years, including New Zealand’s Hamilton street circuit, the Armor All Townsville 400 and the Sydney Telstra 500.
“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, a podium finisher 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.”
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 (October 22-24), will see each regular V8 Supercar team linked with an international driver for the third endurance event of the V8 Supercar Championship Series calendar.
