Townsville to get V8 Supercar street race

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By Karl Peskett | November 14th, 2007

Tony Cochrane, chairman of V8 Supercars Australia, is doing backflips currently.

Prime Minister John Howard today announced a $10 million injection for the Townsville Major Events Precinct, which, along with Premier of Queensland Anna Bligh’s commitment of funds, means that work will probably commence early next year on the renewal of Reid Park in Townsville. The event precinct will then host an annual V8 Supercar street race.

Said Cochrane, “My congratulations to the Prime Minister and the Member for Herbert Peter Lindsay who have worked tirelessly to ensure the people of North Queensland get the same opportunity to host a major event as those in the capital cities.”

Cochrane also said that he hoped this would put Townsville on the world stage.

“Our many thousands of fans in Townsville and North Queensland will be delighted by this announcement,” he concluded.

Richo

awesome news, the people of townsville have been looking forward to a V8 race for a long time now, i reckon this place has the potential to rival the clipsal 500 in adelaide no worries at all!!! And with all the defence force infrastructure nearby… imagine the fly overs!
Me.

Oh god no!! Let me guess, this is going to end up an arugument FORD v HOLDEN forum soon.
Tonyn

Congrats, i have been hoping this event will happen! thats good news

Lets just hope if labor gets in it will still happen!
Tonyn

would you expect it not to be a ford vs holden forum? hehehe…. im staying clear of arguments on here from now on!
Me.

It should be called the “HOT 500″!
Me.

Yes Tonyn, Hope I learn from the past to leave as soon as it becomes bad…..
Tonyn

i think were in the same boat… but i have to say people dont usually frustrate me but boy did toyota paul do that…. it has been calmer since he has not been here….
Pat E

toyotas suck anyway – who cares

Townsville street race would be exciting, the heat would take its toll on the cars too, be interesting to see who has the most reliable cars in the field!
Tonyn

howard only pleged the money if he is re-elected….. just read the press release!
Reckless1

Howard is a man of his word, he’s proved that many times in the past. If he gets re-elected, Townsville may find it’s not a “core promise”, but one of his “non-core promise”, known to the rest of us as an expedient lie.
Me.

Tonyn, yeah Toymotor Paul was a real twit and realy made a fool of himself….same with “Benjie”.

How come no V8 Supercar rounds at night anymore?
Captain Mainwaring

Is Townsville a village or a town?
Richo

please dont turn this into a political debate please! for goodness sakes this is a car site, not a political one. Go piss off and talk about politics somewhere else, your not wanted here
Reckless1

Behold, Rich is the content policeman – piss off yourself Rich.

Captain, perhaps Townsville is a Ville ???
Bavarian Missile

Nothing wrong with a little biff and barge on the site as long as we don’t resort to name calling and swearing. No point on us getting on here if we all have the same opinion just know when to agree to disagree!
Andrew M

will we now lose the QLD raceway round? i fear we will. they held off for a bit before they announced it will be on again next year.
QLD get 2 rounds of V8′s or a footy final when both teams are QLD teams………yeah right!!!
wheelnut

Even though I find it odd that pollies somehow find Millions of dollars to spend [in marginal electorates] on various projects in the lead up to an election but somehow foget where it is afther they’ve been elected

I believe that street circuits are the way of the future because not only does it bring the racing into the heart of the city [Clipasl] but because the roads which make up the circuit are used by regular drivers for the other 50-51 weeks of the year so the cost of maintenance is lower than what it is to maintain a dedicated track like Eastern Creek.

Thing is I thought Sydney would have been the next major Australian city [after Adelaide] to have a street race
but just like the select few in SA who are refusing to allow the Grandstand development for the Clipsal track;
it appears that a similar group in NSW are dead against it
Bavarian Missile

Re-the Raceway! Good on them if they can pull it off,Townsville is pretty large I think over 100,000 people so I guess that makes it a City ? I think more would attend the Townsville Race than the last few we have watched overseas!

QLD 3 Races a year ………W.A 1 and that maybe nil! I thought living in Tassie we had it bad for motoring events!

Sucks to be me!!!!!!
Me.

This so called street circit, it bedda be a wide track with a fairly long straight, I don’t want to see it ending up as a tarmac rally with 30+ cars trying to overtake each other in such a narrow road with barriers along the edge.
Bavarian Missile

Perth has a great street race available if some polly would pull there finger out and make it happen!

A fabulous foreshore….and a great straight, so all the GTs found out when leaving the Show and shine at Easter…hahaha

Bet Karl,Ross and Cobra 045 would agree !
Andrew M

Wheel nut,
street races cost a hell of a lot and prob more than a dedicated circuit.
for eg Indy on the gold coast costs the QLD government an absolute hell of a lot of money. they have to erect all the things that would normally be there at a circuit and pull it down again in around a week.
not to mention the mayhem it causes when they shut down a few streets.
the only street race ive been to was the F1 GP in melbourne and i can tell you they are totally spectator UNfriendly.

Missile,
QLD 3 races a year????
we only have one at the moment……
and dont be surprised if it is still only 1 when townsville comes online
Me.

I’m not so sure, correct me if I’m wrong. It looks like spectators at the Gold Coast that sit along in side the barrier have no real idea whats going on in race postions, I know there would be other places like that too, but there are no super screen TVs or PA systems.
Bavarian Missile

Hey Andrew I was counting QLD Raceway in Ipswich and Gold Coast…..then Townsville! Unless you don’t count Gold Coast as QLD ! hahaha…….
Me.

Did you know that the Gold Coast is not in QLD? LOL!
Me.

^I said Gold Coast Not part of QLD…WTF? I is, OK!
Richo

lol @ Me., i was about to seriously call into question your geographical skills!

reckless, i wasn’t actually refering specifically to you so dont get all nancy boy at me about it, i was simply saying that this isn’t a political discussion, rather its about a street race, and i wasn’t just refering to you as you where not the only one to bring politics into it. But if we must talk about politics, may i point out that although it may be frustrating that pollies seem to only spend money around election time, try and comprehend that that is simply a product of the system of government we have, instead of fighting it people should try and use it to their advantage. If you want something out of the government why waste time whinging and complaining when an election is years away based on the “principal” that pollies should be helpfull ALL the time cos thats what we elect them to do! We may elect them to do it but it just doesn’t work that way! never has and never will. Rather if you want something out of them, wait till election time then scream and complain as much as possible then! Thats exactly what V8 supercar has done and they did it to perfection as they now have government cash to do what they wanna do! And people say the system doesn’t work! Rubbish!! It works plenty well WHEN you understand it!
Andrew M

ha ha ha yeah i forgot about the v8′s at indy ha ha ha.

i suppose since they are a support round i could be forgiven i hope?

they say the V8′s are the support but we all know the indy cars wouldnt get people show if there were no V8′s.
remember a few yrs ago V8′s threatened to pull out due to poor facilities then hey presto they moved heaven and earth for them.

oh ME,
they do have big screens at indy. they even have them at willobank (QLD raceway) and thats prob the only track where spectators can easily see the whole track.

i must admitt it is hard to follow it when you are there watching it. especially when it use to be the 500k out at QLD raceway. most use to run different strategies and it was hard to follow how it would pan out
Bavarian Missile

Forgiven ……I know your under the hammer at the moment. Go get a massage and relax !

Your not wrong about no one turning up for Indy …..I prefer F1 .

Hey Barbagellos Raceway is equally lacking in facilities !

Simmons Plains isn’t that much better from memory ! At least you could park on the hill and watch the whole track from your car……that was cool! Like Basketville Raceway in Hobart.
Andrew M

oh i dont know how i forgot indy ha ha ha

i loved the days when they would bring out the older cars so they didnt prang them up before bathurst

i remember one time in particular where ellery came out in his un sponsored EL falcon and won!!!
ahhhhh privateers that gave the sport a good mix pity now it is dominated by “mega teams”
Bavarian Missile

Yep I remember when they raced the real old cars….thats making me old now. I used to watch it with Dad though when I was real small…..that made me feel better with a birthday coming up next week.

I guess your DJR this weekend ..as usual!
Andrew M

oh you gotta one better me dont you? ha ha ha ha
well i remember before they even raced cars at all ha ha ha ha

yeah of course DJR all the way!!!!!

i was telling tonyn a while ago i was there (and he told me he was too) in the pouring rain holding up a massive Radisich/johnson banner the year they won the 500 under red flag. we got a massive wave from them when they did the victory lap

dont get me wrong i love the other ford teams too but we all have to have our “real” favourite. i have a massive soft spot for DJR probably because they run with a little more enthusiasm and appreciation than the bigger “commercial” teams
wheelnut

If it costs less to buid and maintain a dedicatd circuit then why is it the NSW Govt sold/handed over Eastern Creek to the ARDC.

And why is it that [once agian] the NSW Govt are thinking about staging a street race around olympic park

I’d say the main reason is cost because the initial cost of building a racetrack is more than $100m – then theres resurfacing and maintenance costs. Costs which would take longer to recover as a race track is would only used less than 12 times a year – for major events; by no more than 5;000 cars a year
Whereas the cost in involved in building and maintaining a street circuit is far less because the roads that make up the street circuit are used 10000+ of drivers who ise those roads every day for the other 50 weeks of the year.

The other thing with Street Circuits V Race tracks is that the majority of race tracks are on the cities outskirts [usually in the western suburbs] and too hard for alot of people to get to.. because it involve a lot of time driving [and they can't drink].

Whereas by blocking off a couple of streets close to the city; the race becomes more centralised; easier to get to [as most buses/trains go to the city] therefore you attract far more spectators.. even though as you say they mightn’t see much

Besides the cost of building a street circuit is often made up by the money injected into the economoy by 1000s of tourists from interstate for the event.. Don’t forget Mount Panorama is a street circuit.
wheelnut

Andrew M: in terms of following the action and trying to determine who is leading etc.

A couple of years ago I made the following suggestion to TEGA and AVESCO:

they fit a series of 3 lights in the cars rear window so that spectators could see them [which the side of the car would vary depending upon which direction they raced in]

the lights will be controlled by telemetry from race control. it would focus on the first 3 cars and the lights would be Yellow [1st]; Orange [2nd]; Red [3rd]

As the cars swapped positions the lights would change accordingly

The main reasion I suggested it was not only to make it easier for the fans to know who’s leading but also us flaggies.. though unfortunately I’ve been told they don’t have the technology to do it..
wheelnut

Andrew M:

I have heard that DJR are dropping Jim Beam and will be sponsored by Coca Cola next year. Apparently Coke are offering DJR 3x as much ca$h as what Jim Beam did.

SBR are still looking for sponsors of Both of their cars.

I have also heard that Coopers Brewery are interested in sponsoring a V8 Supercar team. Being an South Aussie Product they’ll most likely sponsor a Holden Team – maybe take over the PWR Supercheap franchise
Richo

SBR have their sponsorship situation sorted. Jeld-Wen are staying on in support of the james courtney entry, and russel ingall is going to be replaced by paul dumbrell who brings with him major backing from autobarn who will become the primary sponsor of his falcon.

As for the coke/DJR thing, i havent heard that one before! But i wouldn’t rule it out, DJR’s jim beam sponsorship is far from stable!
Richo

as for coopers, havent heard anything about that before! but for sure the PWR boys will be looking for a sponsor next year because the supercheap dollars are all but guaranteed of leaving that team! Where will they go but? dunno, maybe they will decide to provide minor sponsorship to a number of different teams as opposed to the major sponsorship of just one team, or maybe they will be the ones who move in on DJR?
Bavarian Missile

Before they raced cars……..? What horse and buggy! hehehe

Cant help it if Im older than you,thats nothing to be proud of I give you the tip,hahaha

I support the little guys too but I just have soft spot for Russell……..!Its a Skaffie thing!

Russell moving,wouldn’t count on it! To where Paul Morris like they are speculating? I doubt it.

Lets hope Craig and Jamie are in the top 2 ! For Fords Championship that that deserved last year !
wheelnut

So Dumbo’s gone to SBR.. McConville is tipped to join BJR which means whoever picks up the Ex-Supercheap licence [TWR?] will have to find 2 new drivers. I suggest Leanne Tander for one spot.

So where’s ingall going? DJR; SBR; 888; and I believe WPS have all confirmed their drivers for the 08 season
Could he be headed back to Holden? if so his choices are limited as HRT; HSVDT; GRM; and Tasman have confirmed their drivers too.. Which leaves Perkins Motorsport…?
Me.

It’s hard to say what will happen in the championship…Thats right, it’s this weekend and Ambrose might be a guest comentator now that NASCAR has finnished for the year.
Bavarian Missile

Cool….thanks for that Me {love the remake name}of course he is probably visiting Mum and Dad too..! Do you know that Marcos’s Dad use to race with our new FPV head Rod Barrett!Another Tasmanian..ge that state has some talent…hahaha.

Dont upset me by telling me Russ could be going over to the dark side. I think he will be staying where he is…now hes got a car thats finally working again for him…hes not bad for an old guy I think.
Richo

sorry bavarian but rusty has actually comfirmed that he is leaving SBR, the only question is where is he going. In all likelyhood he is actually going to start his own team, just paul morris motorsport is going to prepare the car for him in the early stages which means that in effect he will be part of his team initially.

BJR is going all holden with cars supplied by walkinshaw performance and they have a new sponsor apparently, so maybe THATS where supercheap is going?
Andrew M

so is it confirmed russ is leaving or speculation?

Wheelnut,
a lot o f tracks are privately owned too which means it costs the Govt less. they always report that it (indy) constantly runs at a loss even after you consider patronage from tourists

mate i thought DJR signed a 3yr deal with Jim Beam….
where do you get your info? maybe coke will feature a bit more in the signage? junior did seem pretty excited for when extra dollars was coming in and maybe coke might feature more on the car next year but i doubt it will totally take over. maybe coke might put money in but let jim beam feature as part of an off track commercial arrangement to see jim beam further the use of coke in their drink range?

my uncle used to be in Kmart management and he told me a while ago (when kmart sponsored) that mobil put more money into the team but let Kmart feature as main signage, on conditions that they featured Mobil products heavily throughout their stores.

i could handle McConville in ford colours he is a nice kid and he can drive too!!! ah he’s from the privateer days too.

coopers used to sponsor a warren luff driven ford brute too so im sure they are not afraid to pledge $$$$ to a ford team
Richo

rusty has said he is leaving yes
Andrew M

Richo
where do you hear BJR is going holden? ive heard it a few times now but ive seen nothing announced?
also who fills russ’s seat? is dumbrell confirmed?
i thought Russ still had 1 yr left with SBR. and if they chose to end it in an amicable way that contract still remains with ford. he has a contract with ford first then a “sub-contract” with SBR i thought.

dont rule out Britek!!! is Alan Gurr confirmed? maybe brighty has pulled a bigger sponsor in coopers or super cheap?? he is pretty determined to achieve success again

so where did the DJR rumours come from again?
Bavarian Missile

When has he said that? I am off to his site to see what hes saying on the subject……
Bavarian Missile

He has said this earlier on the subject

Question from a fan

“There is a horrible rumor in NZ that you are looking to leave SBR and go to Paul Morris and drive a Holden! Please say it isn’t true, SBR and the Fords wouldn’t be the same without you. – Nik”
A: Thanks Nik, always great to hear from the NZ fans. There is a lot to happen before any decisions are made about next year and beyond. I would not believe everything you hear.

Plus he has stated he has a contract with Ford still till 2008……..so where have you read hes leaving……..
Andrew M

ah thanks missile i thought it was a contract till after next year too
Andrew M

2 rumours i dont take….

DJR dropping Jim Beam because they signed a 3yr deal (i think it was) and the deal was announced at Melbas in surfers at the start of the year. i didnt make it there to see it live but i watched the unveiling via their site

Russ going back to holden. there is a ford contract in place that goes beyond SBR. maybe leave SBR but not to holden. he took forever to re sign with SBR last time too dont forget.
Andrew M

Britek will be an interesting one to watch because brighty has always done what he wanted so i expect him to start going places now. maybe there might be a new sponsor and or driver too. he will shine with the right sponsor/driver setup mark my words
Bavarian Missile

I dont want to think about if its not till the end of 2008,not game to do another search!
Bavarian Missile

Phew,thanks Andrew I am hoping your correct. I just cant see Russell wanting to run his own team or go to the other side with Skaffie again!

I cant see Beam only signing on for 1 year either,DJR have done a pretty good job for them so far.
Me.

I may not of seen everything that been going on here, but what will happen to Glenfords after Bowes gone?
Bavarian Missile

Good question?
Richo

You guys need to start following the V8′s more closely lol, read the mags (auto action and motorsport news) watch panelbeaters on bigpond (hosted by neil crompton and brad jones) and ofcourse watch all of the telecasts and this is where you find out all of this stuff. Rusty does have a ford contract through 2008, however the contract is dependend on him being able to FIND a suitable ford seat. If he cant find one, they cannot hold him to that contract. He is definetly leaving SBR, this is just the way it is, i know you dont wanna hear it but its happening. Learn to deal! It’s not 100% he is going back to holden but it is incredibly likely.

BJR is definetly going holden, this can be cited by auto action and motorsport news and on panel beaters brad jones himself has hinted at this a number of times (he isn’t allowed to say anything yet tho)
Andrew M

I think PCR will roll on as usual when Bowe leaves. he was pretty much there just to give them a bit of experience in the team.
he wasnt a critical link in them continuing just there helping out (well pretty much)

but yes there is another seat??
im sure they will just pluck someone out of the development series. they wouldnt have enough money to buy a “star”
Andrew M

Richo,
define suitable seat….

if ford still want him to wait out his contract then he will have to. they will make something suit if they want him to continue in blue.

why did he want out of stones?
wheelnut

here’s a thought – maybe only one of DJRs cars will be sponsored by Coke [similar to SBR].. “Jim Beam and Coke”.

The other thing is that with BJR Holdens being supplied by TWR; maybe Supercheap will switch sponsorship from PWR to BJR as the TWR cars have been performing BTR.

I still believe if Coopers decide to sponsor a team it will be a Holden because the major Ford teams have all got major sponsors.
Whereas The PWR licence is available; and Tasman are apparently looking for a more “regular” major sponsor -[must cost em heaps to keep changing the paint job?] Both Holden teams
wheelnut

Now that Bowe is gone I guess Glenfords will have to find another “Tool”
Andrew M

hey hold on Bowe is far from a tool!!! i hope you were joking

i put John bowe and Jim richards in the same basket. they are both gentlemen and considerate drivers. i can say this too because i have met both.
Andrew M

i see frosty is quickest again so far.
he is going for 5 straight poles now
Bavarian Missile

Yep I agree Bowe is a nice guy,has a low tolerance for idiots as we all do as we get older!

I love Kim Jones when he gets on the screen after some wally has just takin out one of his cars………the guy out the back he refers to a lot.hahaha

Yep Coldbum is there again and so is TOOL racing ,GT behind him. GT won last year I think and the year before!

I love that first corner at Symmons Plains , bet there will be an incident on the first lap there!
Me.

Please Don’t have the same crash as last year!

Bowe races in Australian GTs and Bathurst 12 hour, now that hes leaving V8 Supercars.
Andrew M

yeah Kim Jones is pretty funny ha ha ha

they had a good showing (possible top 5!!!) at bathurst until their car spat an injecter and sent it up in flames
Me.

Who ever thought what would happen to Toll HSV at the end of the day. As the commentators said, “no matter which side you’re going for”….
http://. Naughtyius Maximus

GREAT RESULT FOR FORD AND RICK KELLY WAS A GREAT RESULT FOR ME…. Yeahhhh haaaah Fooooooooooord
Bavarian Missile

Karma for last year is coming to get Toll racing,apparently!

Another 123 Ford finish whoohoo…….
wheelnut

What do you mean Missile?
http://. Naughtyius Maximus

MISSILE…yeaaaaaah haaaaaaaaaah for stating the obvious!

Great to see Tander barge his way into trouble and stuff up – he was deadset lucky to survive as at time was thinking of a Gregg Hansford disaster!
Andrew M

you know what missile means……..
Bavarian Missile

The last race of last season when HRT ganged up on Craig trying to stop him, Kelly succeeded and won the Championship something he never deserved !

Still leaves a bitter taste in most Ford supporters.

Look what happened to Handbag when he took Ambros out on the Mountain years ago……seems like hes never got back to where he used to be since.Karma!
Andrew M

is RK out of it now? i havent had that good a look at the maths of the series yet.

poor old craig looks like he could be the bridesmaid 3yrs in a row now too.

i bet you will remember how russel was runner up for ages before he finally won it
Bavarian Missile

Kelly I think is out of it,unless the top 3 all have DNFs

1 Jamie Whincup 569
2 Garth Tander 562
3 Craig Lowndes 548
4 Rick Kelly 521

Craig could still do it though ,I just hope Holden play fair this year cause there will be a riot on the island I would think if they try the same moves they performed last year!

Poor Russell was so happy when he finally got that win he had waited for , it was good he could do it when Ambros was still in it too!
Me.

….BUT REMEMBER! “Tool” HSV won’t be normal at Philip Island. They will make sure their cars are the fastest out there – to try and cheat like last year.
Me.

I can’t belive how SBR were so good from 2003-05, but now they half way in the trafic. It’s just their bad luck, it’s not that their cars are bad, because their engines are good with 888 racing. It’s just them having bad luck.
Bavarian Missile

Yes but 888 a better at setting up their cars !
Bavarian Missile

I reckon Ambros was real good in helping SBR set their cars up for them cause it seems its all been down hill since!
Me.

Yeah, Anbrose was untouchable at Eastern Creek in 04. Same with alot of other rounds.
wheelnut

I’ve heard that the week after the race at PI
888 will apparently test a Prototype of the Orion Falcon [built by FPR] it will have the proposed bodykit on it but will also be heavily camouflage.

Its set to be tested up against either one of the HRT Cars or Toll Cars – I expect it to be a Toll car as they;re faster this year.

The test which will take place on a “closed track” {no spectators photographers etc] is to determine if the performance aerodynamics etc of the Orion are the same as the VE.
TEGA will then decide if the Orion needs to be modified [and if so what] or to make slight modifications to the VE inorder to maintain parity
However; it’s unlikely that the cars will have sequential gearboxes which are planned for next year

This is to give Ford teams time to prepare for the Orion which they won’t be able to race until June/July – after the production car is released
Me.

I would love to see some spy shots of the Orion V8 Supercar. Intresting to see how Australia goes for now on, now that Kevin Rudd has just won.
Mike Shearer

Townsville won’t be a street race. The main straight will be on a major public road used mostly by heavy transports going to and from the port, the rest of the track will be brand new in a dead flat public park. For 51 weeks of the year the park track will be barred from all vehicles. It’s gonna be a huge white elephant costing $41m to setup, with poor viewing (huge screens will be needed). Don’t believe V8 Supercars when they say it will be run on “city streets” – it won’t be, nowhere near them.
Kart Driver

They should also run the AKA Go-karts as well! that woulb be sooooooooo cool!
BenderCOB

Holden is shit, my mums Hyundai excel could smoke holden no probs