Newcastle City Council has voted to support a partnership with Destination NSW and Virgin Australia Supercars on a bid to bring the annual season-ending round of the Australian Supercars to the city from next year.
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The Championships are a major event with an international following.
They have the potential to bring enormous economic benefits and incredible exposure for Newcastle and the broader Hunter Region.
Based on information drawn from the Gold Coast, Homebush and Bathurst events, the Supercars could bring up to $50 million into the regional economy each year.
With a potential international TV audience in the millions, the event will showcase the city and our beautiful coastal setting in full glory in high summer.
Details of the track layout and other logistics are still to be determined, but Newcastle has proven its ability to host big events in the past. Last year's Super Motocross and the 2015 Asian Cup football matches were great successes.
VASC events include the Clipsal 500 Adelaide, the Castrol EDGE Townsville 400, the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, the Castrol Gold Coast 600 and the Coates Hire Sydney 500. VASC is telecast to Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East with an estimated viewing audience of around 220 million households. In Australia alone, more than 31 million tuned in to watch VASC last year, up 13 per cent from the previous year.