Last Sydney 500 at Homebush in 2016... Will Gosford Replace It?

[Compromised]

SMP should really be Australia's premier race track and it's quite perplexing that it isn't.

Love going to the drags at WSID, but for some reason I feel like something is missing when ever I'm at SMP. Sure spectators can't see much, no really shade, can be dusty, traffic can be a pain, no real public transport, but then again, the same can be said of a lot of tracks, even Bathurst.

Not sure what can be changed to make SMP the real special event I feel it should be. Nothing stands out really

[peckstar]

ive been to SMP (or EC as it was at the time) great little track. As far as i can tell nothing wrong with it and it has had subsequant improvments

The issue isnt the track, the issue is Sydney. Its not the hearland for v8s, never has been. Along with that people are just not that interested in sport

The big issue, as far as i can tell, is that key sponsors are in Sydney, but the fans are not really there

[mayhem]

Originally Posted by peckstar

The issue isnt the track, the issue is Sydney. Its not the hearland for v8s, never has been. Along with that people are just not that interested in sport

Where is the heartland for V8s? Queenland? Victoria? Or is it Malaysia and Thailand?

[Mixer]

Originally Posted by mayhem

Where is the heartland for V8s? Queenland? Victoria? Or is it Malaysia and Thailand?

Philip Island is a similar layout to EC and has no public transport. Yet I love the place..

[mayhem]

Originally Posted by Mixer

Philip Island is a similar layout to EC and has no public transport. Yet I love the place..

Epic track, beautiful backdrops. But small V8 crowds. So by Peck's definition, not the heartland.

[peckstar]

Originally Posted by mayhem

Where is the heartland for V8s? Queenland? Victoria? Or is it Malaysia and Thailand?

Truthfully its outside capital cities. But it definitely not sydney

I dont think its it malaysia or thailand, yet

when a little rural track in country victoria over 2 hours from melbourne gets bigger crowds the SMP, its pretty clear that Sydney is not the heartland

[Mixer]

That is a rhetorical question so I am not touching it. But it is so much better than EC. Why?

Also on the heartland question we Victorians do attend 3 rounds plus the GP so we must be ok....

[peckstar]

Originally Posted by mayhem

Epic track, beautiful backdrops. But small V8 crowds. So by Peck's definition, not the heartland.

2 hours from melbourne its in the edge of nowhere, not a central catchment point for anywhere, But why are its crowds at least as good as SMP?

All the negatives about SMP are the same at PI, in fact many are even worse, but the crowds reflects better at PI than SMP

[mayhem]

I dunno, maybe there's nothing else to do down that way for the locals so the V8s make a good alternative to watching local AFL? Really the crowds are hardly immense, a few from each local town and village and you've got yourself a V8 crowd.

Whereas there's a million things to do in Sydney, many for free or better value than a Supercar event in a city with not a lot of disposable income.

[one five five]

Wasn't the reason the Phillip Island round has moved to earlier in the year to encourage bigger crowds to attend? Maybe a date change for Sydney could have been trialled..did it have to be the final round?

Has Tony Cochrane commented on the loss of his, for want of a better phrase, love child?

Originally Posted by peckstar

The issue isnt the track, the issue is Sydney. Its not the hearland for v8s, never has been. Along with that people are just not that interested in sport

20+ odd years ago Sydney could support three touring car championship rounds a year, AMSCAR events, Winfield Triple Challenge, touring car enduro's and all of these were played out to great crowds.

Eastern Creek attracted big crowds to their V8Supercar events until the early 2000s, something happened in the last 10-15 years to turn sydneysiders away.

Why have Sydney fans disappeared? Perhaps the lack of a local team doesn't help, there was once a big hub of Sydney touring car teams and drivers which slowly dwindled. Even in the 90s they still had WGR, and Tasman flew the flag for a while in the mid-00's as well, but now nothing.

[Umai Naa]

Dunno if having a Sydney-based team makes a difference.

You ask most people where the likes of Triple Eight, HRT, or PRA are based, and they couldn't tell you.

Lack of promotion for V8SC when they race at SMP wouldn't be doing it any favours. You pretty much can't avoid seeing and hearing about the Homebush event.

[Wazzi]

I went to homebush the first few years and never went back, Whilst I caught the train and found it a great way to get there, the G/A side of being at the track was crap, and each year there were less and less places to get a got veiw in G/A, I go to watch the cars, not all the sideshow stuff that is put on. The concerts at homebush were a bonus and helped convince me to go a few times but in the end it was too expensive for the little I got out of it.
Always went to Eastern Creek and loved corporote hill, without that and the ever worsening traffic and parking hassles, it is just not worth it anymore

[mayhem]

And there lies the problem with the Homebush round, PAYING punters thought the event was poo. And if you were a casual fan and Homebush was your first ever event would you then fork out another 2-300 bucks to try Eastern Creek? Probably not. And that result isnt great at a time when the series is somewhat trying to reinvent itself, and mend some of the bad decisions that have upset its traditional heartland.

Just as a good event can do great things for a series, a bad event can do damage.

[GTRMagic]

And the sad part is, there is no alternative in the wind for Sydney metro that the paying punter might want to get behind.

Eastern Creek has proven in the past that it just isn't it

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Eastern Creek has proven in the past that it just isn't it

Yet its the only option

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

Yet its the only option

Is it?

Where is that written?

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Is it?

Where is that written?

In tarmac and geography - what else is available in Sydney metro area to support motorsport?

[Mixer]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

In tarmac and geography - what else is available in Sydney metro area?

Unfortunately I agree, given Sydney's geography, traffic, and property cost, I can't see too many places you could hold another race.

I also think that Sydney has spoken, there are too many other things to do in Sydney.

[mayhem]

Ill bet my left one that no nsw government will fund any street race in metropolitan sydney in the next 20 years outside of the small hope of an F1 race.

[Kingair]

Move it out to Broken a Hill, and go with the Mad Max theme for the weekend.

Formula 1 in downtown Sydney, they are dreaming or smoking good weed!
Traffic is a nightmare now, let alone setting up and running a Grand Prix.

[one five five]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Eastern Creek has proven in the past that it just isn't it

Completely incorrect

15 years ago the crowds at Eastern Creek were great for V8 events. It has been proven in the past that Eastern Creek CAN draw the punters in big numbers

Why doesn't it draw crowds to events like the V8Supercars these days?

[Mixer]

Originally Posted by one five five

Why doesn't it draw crowds to events like the V8Supercars these days?

Because 15 years ago!

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by one five five

Completely incorrect

15 years ago the crowds at Eastern Creek were great for V8 events. It has been proven in the past that Eastern Creek CAN draw the punters in big numbers

Why doesn't it draw crowds to events like the V8Supercars these days?

Can't put money in the bank from sales made 15 years ago...

What has it done for the sport lately?

[dsg]

Originally Posted by mayhem

Where is the heartland for V8s? Queenland? Victoria? Or is it Malaysia and Thailand?

Thailand has a fantastic circuit in Buriram. I'd go.

[one five five]

Originally Posted by Mixer

Because 15 years ago!

Perhaps you should read the comment i was basing my response on?

GTR claimed that Eastern Creek had NEVER had the punters behind it, when quite obviously the evidence shows that in the past it has!

WHY has the interest dropped in Sydney in the last 15 years.

Nobody seems willing to want to answer the question, the only interest seems to be in slagging Eastern Creek more and more.....

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Can't put money in the bank from sales made 15 years ago...

What has it done for the sport lately?

You claimed that "Eastern Creek has proven in the past that it just isn't it" for something the paying punter might want to get behind.

Evidence shows that in the past the punters DID get behind it.

Has V8Supercars done anything for SMP/EC lately? Date changes, the track flowing in and out of the schedule a few times doesn't help anyone.

Why have the crowds dropped in the last 15 years? Why is the track the only thing you ever want to aim your torpedo at? The track wasn't a problem for punters to go to in the past, tip and all, something else has turned them off in the last 15 years....