Newcastle: A typical Newcastle scene. pic: AJP Photography
Supercars CEO James Warburton flagged a new marquee event in NSW as one of the big-ticket items on his agenda upon returning to the role mid-year.
Warburton raised the topic again in his address to the Supercars community at the Gala Awards in Adelaide on Monday night.
This time he did so in front of a screen that named the Central Coast and Wollongong as target locations.
“We continue to pursue a season opener for the ages and we’re working with Perth towards hopefully a 2028 outcome with a stunning opening round to our championship,” he said.
“In addition, we also working with the New South Wales Government to replace Newcastle with some options which would be extraordinary.”
Perth street race pushed back until 2028
The establishment of the Newcastle event was one of Warburton’s main projects during his last tenure in the job, with the event debuting in 2017.
It ran as the season finale three times before being interrupted by the COVID pandemic and then returned for what proved to be its last running as the 2023 opener.
Vocally opposed from the start by a small group of residents, the Newcastle 500 was effectively killed off by the local council despite the prospect of ongoing NSW Government support.
Sydney Motorsport Park will again host the season-opener in 2026 having become the default home of Round 1 in the absence of a marquee event.
