Fans will have the chance to meet and cheer on their heroes on the eve of next week’s Coates Hire Newcastle 500, with an autograph session and a street cruise for drivers.
All 26 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship drivers will be at Gregson Park for the Hamilton Super Start-Up on Thursday afternoon (22nd November), where fans will be able to grab an autograph before drivers’ cruise through Beaumont Street in classic cars.
The Start-Up will mark the beginning of an exciting weekend for the city, 12 months on from the spectacular first edition of the Coates Hire Newcastle 500.
The event has been organised by the City of Newcastle in conjunction with the Hamilton Business Chamber and Supercars and will feature as part of FOX SPORTS’ Supercars Trackside which will be broadcast LIVE from Gregson Park from 4:30pm – 5.30pm.
Jess Yates will host the show alongside Mark Skaife and Russell Ingall, with the team joined by Championship contenders, Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen for an update on their preparations ahead of the weekend.
There will be free entertainment, food vendors and opportunities with the drivers.
It’s the first time Newcastle has hosted a driver parade through the city.
Coates Hire Newcastle 500 Event Manager Kurt Sakzewski said the Hamilton Super Start-Up was the perfect way to kickstart the celebrations for the second edition of the event.
“It will be a great afternoon at Gregson Park, starting with live production of Supercars Trackside and the drivers’ autograph session, followed by the cruise through Beaumont Street,” Sakzewski said.
“We hope to see fans from right across Australia at the Hamilton Super Start-Up, to help kick off this year’s second edition of the Coates Hire Newcastle 500 in style.”
This year’s Coates Hire Newcastle 500 will be broadcast live on FOX SPORTS and TEN across the weekend.
Off track there will be a night of entertainment on Saturday 24th November, when international rockers Simple Minds, Aussie chart-toppers Birds of Tokyo and Melbourne rockers The Delta Riggs perform at the concert presented by Triple M Newcastle at the No.1 Sportsgrounds, Newcastle CBD.
Jamie Whincup took out the 2017 Supercars title from McLaughlin in dramatic scenes in Newcastle 12 months ago. McLaughlin currently leads the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship from Whincup’s teammate Shane van Gisbergen by just 14 points heading into the 2018 series finale.
A strong crowd is expected at the 2018 grand finale with just McLaughlin and van Gisbergen left in the title hunt, while Sunday afternoon’s race will be Supercars’ legend Craig Lowndes’ final ever Championship race as a full-time driver.
The Coates Hire Newcastle 500 is supported by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW, in partnership with the City of Newcastle and will be held on the streets of Newcastle from 23-25 November.
Note: Fans are encouraged to attend the filming of Supercars Trackside from 4:30 – 5:30pm at Gregson Park. Drivers will arrive for an autograph session from 5:00pm – 6:00pm before the cruise begins at 6:00pm – 6:15pm from Gregson Park through Beaumont Street in Hamilton.
