Track build begins for Gold Coast 600’s 2.96km street circuit as drivers hail ‘crazy, crazy race’

THERE’S no track quite like the Gold Coast 600’s ‘concrete canyon’ according to Supercars Championship drivers Will Davison, Tim Slade, Jack Le Brocq and Shane van Gisbergen.

THERE’S no track quite like the Gold Coast 600’s ‘concrete canyon’.

So say local Supercars Championship drivers Will Davison, Tim Slade, rookie Jack Le Brocq and Shane van Gisbergen.

The drivers visited MacIntosh Island Park this morning to officially launch the track build for this year’s Gold Coast 600 race weekend from October 19-21.

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Series leader Van Gisbergen (Red Bull Holden Racing Team) said the Gold Coast 600 was always a tough contest.

“You have to be on the walls and on the kerbs. It’s a crazy, crazy race,” he said.

Shane van Gisbergen of Red Bull Holden Racing Team drives his Holden Commodore VF car through the street circuit in Surfers Paradise during Race 22 of the 2017 Gold Coast 600. Picture: AAP Image/Regi Varghese.

Work to build the 2.96km street circuit in Main Beach and Surfers Paradise began this morning just days out from the start of this year’s eagerly awaited Pirtek Enduro Cup series

Motorists are warned to expect disruptions in the track precinct during the next six weeks as the streets of Main Beach and Surfers are turned into the thrill ride known as the ‘concrete canyon’.

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Gold Coast 600 event manager Melissa Stephens said the build begins with the pit lane suites and roadworks along the Gold Coast Highway.

“A lot of the work happens overnight,” she said.

“We go through about 12km of concrete barriers and temporary fencing.

“It’s a construction process we’ve refined in detail to minimise the impact on residents.”

Supercars Championship drivers (from left) Shane van Gisbergen, rookie Jack Le Brocq, Will Davison and Tim Slade helped launched the track build for this year’s Gold Coast 600 event.

Milwaukee Racing driver Davison “absolutely loves” the GC600 track.

“I don’t think you’ll find one driver out there that doesn’t,” he said.

“It’s absolutely brutal but there’s no greater reward than when you nail a good race around here on the Gold Coast and at the end of the day, I think as drivers, we all love that intense challenge,” he said.

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Van Gisbergen said he was looking forward to all his favourite rounds of the championship to end the 2018 season.

“There are some awesome races coming up — Sandown, Bathurst, Gold Coast, New Zealand, so it’s a pretty amazing finish to the year,” he said.

“The Enduro season’s going to be epic but yeah, all my favourite rounds to finish.”

The Gold Coast 600 track build traditionally begins with construction of the stand that houses team garages and suites overlooking Pit Lane, on Macintosh Island.

Van Gisbergen said he would take each round as it came.

“Our preparation has been awesome,” he said.

“We had a good test day last week and the cars are feeling pretty good.”

Tekno Autosports rookie Le Brocq, who joined the single-car squad for the 2018 Supercars season, has contested the past three GC600s as a co-driver.

“Being a local now is going to be pretty awesome,” he said.

“I get to go home to my own bed which is probably the biggest thing and the most exciting thing for me.”

Red Bull Holden Racing Team driver Shane van Gisbergen on the podium at last year’s Gold Coast 600. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images.

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Freightliner Racing driver Slade, who finished on the podium at last year’s GC600, said he was ready for “a pretty busy period” to end the 2018 season..

“I’m doing some extra races in Asia this year as well so I have a couple in China that will make it even busier,” he said.

He said the Coast race always an awesome event.

“It’s another home race for me, living only about 10km south from here, so I normally ride up or catch a tram in if the weather’s looking dicey like it was last year,” he said.

This year’s GC600 will see Brisbane band Sheppard join US stars Foreigner and LIVE on the bill for the Broadwater Sounds race weekend concert at Broadwater Parklands on October 20.