Sydney 500

Sydney 500

Venue	Sydney Olympic Park Street Circuit
Sydney Olympic Park Street Circuit
Race Format
Race 1
- Laps	37
- Distance	125 km
Race 2
- Laps	37
- Distance	125 km
Race 3
- Laps	74
- Distance	250 km
Last Race (2014)
Winning Driver	Shane van Gisbergen
Winning Team	Tekno Autosports
Winning Manufacturer	Holden

The Sydney 500 is a V8 Supercar motor racing event held annually at Homebush Street Circuit. The event is the last on the V8 Supercar calendar and has been since its inaugural race in 2009.

The event is staged over a three-day weekend (Friday-Sunday). Practice is held on Friday. Qualifying is held on Saturday, with two 10-minute sessions followed by two 125-kilometre sprint races. On Sunday, a 20-minute qualifying session followed by a Top 10 Shootout determines the grid for the 250-kilometre race.

Then NSW premier Nathan Rees expected that the 2009 Sydney Telstra 500^[1] would attract over 15,000 visitors from interstate and overseas.^[2] The Sydney Telstra 500 was launched on 16 May 2009, at Martin Place in Sydney. The launch began with six V8 Supercars driving across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the morning.

The first Sydney 500 was widely considered a success, and it's been suggested that continued races will serve to further enhance the standing of V8 Supercars in the Sydney market.^[3]

Criticism

Government subsidy

The New South Wales Government of Premier Nathan Rees was criticised for spending $30 million of taxpayers' money to subsidise the V8 Supercar races.^[4]

Critics said the V8 car races would cost the NSW government far more than the amount originally stated. The Olympic Park Authority said "it is clear that in all scenarios the current V8 Supercars Australia budget estimates are too low and/or incomplete." Government involvement in the races was opposed by the Premier's adviser on events, John O'Neill, as well as the government's infrastructure chief, David Richmond^[4]

Federal Labor MP, Laurie Ferguson, said that it's all about "News Limited and Channel Seven - they're trying to please them." News Limited, publisher of The Daily Telegraph, and the Seven Network had lobbied the New South Wales Government for public funding of the V8 cars. The Seven Network is a sponsor of the V8 Supercars, and The Daily Telegraph said that V8 car racing was a good fit with its readers.^[5]

Despite initial reports of success from event organisers, the event has drawn criticism from the media and motorsport fans across NSW after an Auditor General's report was leaked to the public via the Sydney Morning Herald.^[6] The report concluded that economic benefits predicted by V8 Supercar Australia were not met and expenditure was over budget.

Environmental Concerns

Wetlands at Sydney Olympic Park

The conversion of Sydney Olympic Park and the Homebush Bay precinct into a V8 street-car race circuit was widely criticised.

The Total Environment Centre said that the New South Wales Government overrode the threatened species law, as well as the Homebush Bay Authority's planning principals, and would cause social, environmental and economic disruption at Sydney Olympic Park.^[7] Tony McCormick, who led the team that designed Sydney Olympic Park, said "I find it truly a travesty... The site was supposed to be a legacy for generations and we can’t even make it last a decade."^[8]

Winners

Race Winners

Jamie Whincup leads the field at the 2014 Sydney NRMA 500.

Year	Event Title	Race	Driver	Team	Car
2009	Sydney Telstra 500	1	Garth Tander	Holden Racing Team	Holden VE Commodore
		2	James Courtney	Dick Johnson Racing	Ford FG Falcon
2010	Sydney Telstra 500	1	Jonathon Webb	Tekno Autosports	Ford FG Falcon
		2	Lee Holdsworth	Garry Rogers Motorsport	Holden VE Commodore
2011	Sydney Telstra 500	1	Craig Lowndes	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Holden VE Commodore
		2	Mark Winterbottom	Ford Performance Racing	Ford FG Falcon
2012	Sydney Telstra 500	1	Craig Lowndes	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Holden VE Commodore
		2	Will Davison	Ford Performance Racing	Ford FG Falcon
2013	Sydney NRMA Motoring & Services 500	1	Jamie Whincup	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Holden VF Commodore
		2	Shane Van Gisbergen	Tekno Autosports	Holden VF Commodore
2014	Sydney NRMA 500	1	Jamie Whincup	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Holden VF Commodore
		2	Jamie Whincup	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Holden VF Commodore
		3	Shane Van Gisbergen	Tekno Autosports	Holden VF Commodore

Multiple Wins (Driver)

Race Wins	Driver
3	Jamie Whincup
2	Craig Lowndes
	Shane Van Gisbergen

Multiple Wins (Manufacturer)

References