Newcastle councillor Dr John McKenzie: Don’t let V8s become a superspreader event

Newcastle greens councillor Dr John McKenzie believes the upcoming Newcastle 500 Supercars Race could be a COVID-19 superspreader event unless updated procedures are put in place.

Newcastle greens councillor Dr John McKenzie believes the upcoming Newcastle 500 Supercars event has the potential to be a COVID-19 superspreader event unless updated procedures are put in place.

There was speculation the round, which is scheduled to take place on March 4-6, may be rescheduled due to the Omicron outbreak across the country – with the Hunter hit particularly bad - but Supercars have confirmed the show will go on. Councillor McKenzie said the nature of the event meant it didn’t fit into the current framework that is covered by the government’s health orders for large outdoor gatherings.

The pack heading up Watt Street during the Newcastle 500 race in 2019. Picture: Tim Hunter.

“With the public health orders, the Supercars sits somewhere in between after some of the rulings that we’ve seen,” McKenzie said. “It’s not a seated event like you have in a stadium when you have control of crowd movements. It’s not a music festival where crowds act differently there.”

Street circuits have been most vulnerable to the pandemic which puts the upcoming weekend under the spotlight after the NSW Premier recently announcing that major events could be subject to changes due to the pandemic.

Premier Dominic Perrottet also stated NSW Health, along with the department of Premier and Cabinet, will work closely with organisers of events in adjusting COVID-safe plans.

The Newcastle round of the V8 Supercars has in the past established itself as one of the most popular stops on the calendar with both fans and drivers. The 2022 edition will kick-off the Supercars championship season.

As organisers arrive in coming weeks to set up the event, McKenzie is urging the state government to step in and review safety rules as soon as possible.

Scott McLaughlin celebrating his 2019 Newcastle win. Picture: Tim Hunter.

“It’s not up to council. It’s not up to the people running the Supercars. It’s the state government that needs to act. I have no doubt the state government can implement the right measures,” he said.

“We just have to implement it now. We just want to know if the Supercars are selling too many tickets. The layout of the track won’t be a problem of clustering too many people together.”

Of course there are many people who are itching for the season to roar to life and are looking forward to doing that in the Hunter.

Grove Racing’s David Reynolds said he can’t wait to get back to Newcastle to start his campaign, which he hopes can get his team’s season off to a flyer.

“I’ve always loved that street circuit and I think it should always be included on the racing calendar,” Reynolds said.

“It’s a challenging track but it suits my style of racing. Being a season opener, you always want to do well. It’s sort of sets the tone for the rest of the year.”