Newcastle savoured its first taste of Supercars racing on Friday as crowds flocked to the track on a glorious spring day.
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Race officials will not publish a crowd figure until Sunday evening, but they were delighted with a turnout in the tens of thousands.
People crowded along prime viewing spots on Shortland Esplanade, Watt Street and Nobbys Road and into hospitality suites around the circuit.
On the track, young Ford driver Scott McLaughlin drew first blood in his championship battle with Holden’s series leader, Jamie Whincup.
McLaughlin was the only driver to lap faster than one minute and 10 seconds, clocking 1:09.5949 in the second practice session on a track which more than one driver labelled as a “crazy” challenge.
Whincup, who leads the series by 30 points, was second on the time sheets, almost half a second behind McLaughlin, leading into the final two 250km races of the season on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
From an event manager perspective, it’s unbelievable. They’ve done a great job.
- Warren Smith
The six-time champion said the circuit was “a fair bit different to what we predicted”.
“I thought there would be a bit more flow, but it’s actually quite stop-start,” Whincup said.
“The grip’s slightly higher than anticipated and it’s bumpier than we anticipated as well.
“You drive around in a road car and it feels fine. You get in a Supercar that’s a couple of inches off the ground and it’s rough.
“That’s all part of the character of a street track and it’s going to be a crazy challenge to get it all right.”
McLaughlin said the track suited his driving style.
“It’s mad. It’s awesome,” he said. “Exactly what we thought it was going to be, and probably a bit more.
“There’s a lot of character and it’s pretty speedy in parts. It suits me to a tee, which is nice.”
Away from the racing, people moved smoothly to and from the track on public transport and the event precinct handled the crowd numbers with few hassles.
Inner-city employees appeared to have taken a day off as some car parks were unusually empty at 9am.
The drivers may still be coming to grips with the track, but Canberra man John Salisbury, at 70 a motor racing veteran, was delighted with the layout from a fan’s point of view.
"Here the average spectator gets a good deal," Mr Salisbury said.
"The track can handle a big crowd and there's plenty of room to move. The view is just terrific.
"I've been to tracks all over the world, including America, and this is the best I've come across."
Nobby beach lifeguard Warren Smith, a long-time Surfest organiser, praised Supercars for the track set-up.
“From an event manager perspective, it’s unbelievable,” Mr Smith said. “They’ve done a great job.”
Swansea High student Zane Ballard, 15, was thrilled to be on a school excursion to the track.
“It’s just great to look at the cars,” he said. “We’ve never been to anything like this before. It’s pretty good.”
Beresfield’s Kristy Brown drove from Beresfield to the Stockton ferry and said her journey, with a pram, had been “smooth sailing”.
“From what we’ve seen, it’s been quite easy with the lifts, plenty of toilets, plenty of food vendors, plenty of shade.”
A crowd of more than 5000 stayed behind to watch The Veronicas and Delta Goodrem on a large stage in Foreshore Park after the day’s racing.
Supercars chief executive James Warburton was pleased with a mostly trouble-free first day but said the main challenge would come on Saturday when crowd numbers could be 10,000 to 20,000 higher than Friday’s.
Newcastle lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes, who took a hot lap with Holden veteran Craig Lowndes at the end of the day, said the race was a “perfect” way to advertise the city.
"This is what we've been planning and hoping for since the event was announced last year,” she said.
“Walking through the city as the event got under way, the atmosphere was absolutely electric. Things have all been running smoothly and the city is truly buzzing.
“What's particularly pleasing to see is how positive everyone at the event is. It's a wonderful day out for Novocastrian families and our visitors.
“Equally exciting is seeing the footage on TV, and the excitement of the drivers and the commentators taking in the scenery.
“Seeing the cars race around the track with our amazing beaches, harbour and city in the background is absolutely spectacular and is the perfect picture postcard to advertise Newcastle to the world."
Some hospitality businesses inside the track appeared to be doing a steady trade after months of disruptions in the east end had severely affected their bottom line.
Newcastle’s Aaren Russell, mourning the death last week of his paternal grandfather, finished 24th of 26 drivers in the second Supercars practice session, one and a half seconds behind Scott McLaughlin.
Warners Bay teenager Charlotte Poynting was first on track at 8.40 in the morning in the Aussie Racing Cars category and finished the day 23rd of 31 drivers in qualifying.
Some drivers came unstuck on the tight track, including Super2 Series driver Mason Barbera, who walked away from his car after slamming into the wall in Shortland Esplanade then skidding head-on into a tyre wall outside Newcastle surf club.
