That’s according to Mark Skaife, who is steering the design of the circuit with Supercars’ long-time engineering partner iEDM and input from current drivers including Brodie Kostecki.
Five-time champion driver turned Fox Sports TV pundit Skaife is no stranger to circuit projects having consulted on all the new street layouts in recent decades.
The WA Cook Government’s $217.5 million project intends to create an entertainment hub at Burswood Park, nestled between the Crown Casino precinct and Optus Stadium.
Its use will be headlined by a once-a-year Supercars event, for which a preliminary circuit map has already been circulated, below.
Skaife is brimming with excitement over bringing Supercars from Wanneroo Raceway, which will host the championship this weekend, to the city itself.
The Perth street circuit will utilise a similar model to Townsville, with a mixture of existing public roads and new tarmac making up the layout.
“The thing with me for all of these types of tracks that we’ve done from Canberra right through to Homebush, Gold Coast and Newcastle, is that it has to put a smile on your face when you drive around it; you’ve got to enjoy driving around there,” Skaife told Speedcafe.
“The next thing is you’ve got to make it challenging, and it’s got to provide the raceability, meaning overtaking opportunities.
“If it’s challenging and difficult then drivers make mistakes. That’s what made Homebush so cool because there were lots of places where you just made a little mistake and all of a sudden, the driver behind pounces.
“That’s the design ethos behind this one.”
Skaife and Perth native Kostecki recently met with Supercars officials including motorsport boss Tim Edwards and CEO Shane Howard to assess design drafts.
“At the moment we’re up to about the 15th version of it, we’ve done all the simulations and done all the proper engineering around run-offs and escape [road] trajectories that we would normally do and it’s coming together really, really well,” Skaife continued.
“Brodie’s comments on the respective versions, we’ve thought about what kerb in what spot, what sort of road profile changes and elevation changes and camber profiles, all of those things, which again is trying to maximise the amount of mistakes that can be made to make it interesting.
“At the moment we’ve probably got three, maybe four passing spots. I’m really excited by it.”
Kostecki is among the drivers spruiking the potential benefits of the event amid heavy scrutiny from the WA state opposition, led by broadcaster Basil Zempilas.
The 2023 Supercars champion and 2024 Bathurst 1000 winner says being part of a track design project alongside Skaife has been an eye-opening experience.
“I haven’t really seen [him] in action before, outside of meeting him at the track. He’s a serious operator,” Kostecki told Supercars’ Formation Lap of Skaife.
“He’s done some really great things with some tracks in the past, like Pukekohe, there were some changes there that I didn’t know he was a part of.
“Sort of just going through learning that process and trying to do the best job with the space we have to work with. I’m quite happy with what we have at the moment.
“Nothing’s locked away yet from my understanding, but what an exciting time for me and for Perth and seeing what’s on the cards for the future.”
Every Supercars session from this weekend’s Perth Super440 at Wanneroo Raceway will be live on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports, starting with practice on Friday.
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