Homebush Street Circuit

{{Motorsport venue

| Name = Homebush Street Circuit

| Nicknames = Sydney Olympic Park

| Location = Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales

| Coordinates = {{Coord|33|50|41|S|151|3|58|E|display=it}}

| Image = 250px

| Events = Supercars Championship
Sydney 500 (2009–2016)
Australian GT (2009, 2012)
Australian F4 (2015)
Stadium Super Trucks (2015)

| Layout1 = Street Circuit (2009–2016)

| Length_km = 3.420

| Length_mi = 2.125

| Opened = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2009|12|04}}

| Closed = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2016|12|04}}

| Turns = 13

| Record_time = 1:27.9481

| Record_driver = {{flagicon|NZL}} Shane van Gisbergen

| Record_car = Holden VF Commodore

| Record_year = 2016

| Record_class = Supercars

|}}

The Homebush Street Circuit, also known as the Sydney Olympic Park Street Circuit, was a {{cvt|3.420|km|mi|abbr=on}} temporary street circuit around the former Olympic precinct at Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush Bay, Australia. The track hosted the Sydney 500 and was used for the first time at the final round of the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series.{{cite web | url=http://inner-west-courier-west.whereilive.com.au/news/story/homebush-to-host-v8-supercar-race/ | title=Homebush to host V8 Supercar race | publisher=Official site of the Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series, however it's reported that the event was running at a 56 plus million dollar loss a year and was not financially viable for the state government to continue to outlay the shortfall. |author=Allan Edwards | date=29 September 2008 | access-date=29 September 2008}} The circuit was used for the final time in December 2016 due to a relocation to a Newcastle after it was announced the ANZ stadium precinct would be upgraded and block the track location.

Layout

File:Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales (aerial view, 2010).jpg

The circuit was designed by Mark Skaife, who focused on creating a track with a variety of bumps, camber changes and fast and slow corners making it difficult to complete the perfect lap.{{cite news|url=http://sydney.v8supercars.com.au/Circuit/tabid/686/Default.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100215024325/http://sydney.v8supercars.com.au/Circuit/tabid/686/Default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 February 2010 |title=Sydney Telstra 500, Sydney Olympic Park |publisher=v8supercars.com.au |date=n.d. |access-date=22 February 2010 }} It was constructed on Australia Avenue, Kevin Coombs Avenue, Edwin Flack Avenue and Dawn Fraser Avenue. 140 mature trees needed to be removed and kilometres of tarmac needed to be torn up to accommodate the race.{{cite web | url=http://www.v8supercars.com.au/content/hero_news/september_08/2009_v8_supercar_calendar_released/ | title=2009 V8 Supercar calendar released | publisher=Official site of the Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series | author=Allan Edwards | date=30 September 2008 | access-date=15 November 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090827060041/http://www.v8supercars.com.au/content/hero%5Fnews/september%5F08/2009%5Fv8%5Fsupercar%5Fcalendar%5Freleased/ | archive-date=27 August 2009}} Overall the track had a mixture of track surfaces.

V8 Supercar driver Jason Richards suggested that there were many difficult braking areas, interesting corners and good passing spots.{{cite web|url=http://www.v8supercars.com.au/content/hero_news/november_2009/minister_impressed_by_sydney_track/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091114020103/http://www.v8supercars.com.au/content/hero_news/november_2009/minister_impressed_by_sydney_track/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 November 2009 |title=Minister impressed by Sydney track |publisher=v8supercars.com.au |date=12 November 2009 |access-date=14 November 2009 }} The main straight was the single widest section of race track in Australia, while the straight along Edwin Flack Avenue was one of the narrowest. The outside of turn eight had an unusual negative camber that caught many drivers out in the inaugural race, resulting in several cars crashing into the outer barriers.

The first race was won by the Holden Racing Team's Garth Tander from pole position while, the second 250 km race was won by Dick Johnson Racing's James Courtney (who started from second position on the grid). Jamie Whincup secured winning the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series after finishing fifth in race 1 and fourteenth in race 2.

Environmental concerns

File:Bicentennial Park 12.JPG]]

The conversion of part of the Sydney Olympic Park 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.{{cite news |title=Govt adds fuel to V8 race debate |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=2 December 2008 |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/02/2435698.htm?site=news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100903190256/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/02/2435698.htm?site=news |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 September 2010 }} 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."{{cite news |title=Tree felling for V8 Supercars gets black flag |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=31 July 2009 |url=http://www.smh.com.au/environment/tree-felling-for-v8-supercars-gets-black-flag-20090731-e37q.html | first1=Matthew | last1=Moore}}

Closure

In 2015, V8 Supercars proposed to shorten the circuit to reduce the event's costs.{{cite news |last=Bartholomaeus |first=Adrian |date=7 December 2015 |title=Sydney shift touted after circuit plans quashed |url=http://www.speedcafe.com/2015/12/07/sydney-shift-touted-after-circuit-plans-quashed/ |newspaper=Speedcafe |access-date=22 March 2016 }} This proposal failed, and in March 2016 it was announced that the ongoing costs of running the event would result in 2016 being the final running of the Sydney 500.{{cite news | url=http://www.speedcafe.com/2016/03/22/axe-falls-on-sydney-olympic-park-street-race/ | title=Axe falls on Sydney Olympic Park street race | work=Speedcafe | date=22 March 2016 | access-date=22 March 2016}}

Lap records

As of 4 December 2016, the official race lap records at Homebush Street Circuit are listed as:{{cite web |url=http://www.natsoft.com.au/results/ |title=Natsoft ® - IT Specialists! |access-date=24 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717081807/http://www.natsoft.com.au/results/ |archive-date=17 July 2012}}

class="wikitable"
Class ! Driver ! Vehicle ! Time ! Date
colspan=5 \| Street Circuit: 3.420 km (2009–2016)
Supercars Championship \| {{flagicon\|NZL}} Shane van Gisbergen \| Holden VF Commodore \| 1:27.9481 \| 3 December 2016
Super2 Series \| {{flagicon\|AUS}} Cameron Waters \| Ford FG Falcon \| 1:28.3668 \| 7 December 2014
GT3 \| {{flagicon\|GER}} Bernd Schneider \| Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 \| 1:28.6368{{Cite web \|title=Australian GT Sydney Street 2012 \|url=https://www.racingsportscars.com/race/Sydney-2012-12-02-23567.html \|access-date=18 June 2022}} \| 2 December 2012
Porsche Carrera Cup \| {{flagicon\|NZL}} Jonny Reid \| Porsche 911 (997) GT3 Cup \| 1:30.2244 \| 4 December 2011
Formula Ford \| {{flagicon\|AUS}} Anton De Pasquale \| Mygale SJ13a \| 1:34.1651 \| 8 December 2013
Formula 4 \| {{flagicon\|AUS}} Nick Rowe \| Mygale M14-F4 \| 1:34.2658 \| 6 December 2015
Touring Car Masters \| {{flagicon\|AUS}} John Bowe \| Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 \| 1:36.8400 \| 4 December 2016
Aussie Racing Cars \| {{flagicon\|AUS}} Blake Sciberras \| Toyota Aurion-Yamaha \| 1:43.0750 \| 5 December 2015
V8 Ute Racing Series \| {{flagicon\|AUS}} David Sieders \| Holden VE SS Ute \| 1:43.5860 \| 3 December 2016
Australian Mini Challenge \| {{flagicon\|AUS}} Chris Alajajian \| Mini JCW R56 \| 1:46.2661 \| 5 December 2010
Toyota 86 Racing Series \| {{flagicon\|AUS}} Will Brown \| Toyota 86 \| 1:49.3997 \| 3 December 2016
Stadium Super Trucks \| {{flagicon\|USA}} Sheldon Creed \| Stadium Super Truck \| 1:54.9534 \| 5 December 2015

class="wikitable"

Class

! Driver

! Vehicle

! Time

! Date

colspan=5 | Street Circuit: 3.420 km (2009–2016)

Supercars Championship

| {{flagicon|NZL}} Shane van Gisbergen

| Holden VF Commodore

| 1:27.9481

| 3 December 2016

Super2 Series

| {{flagicon|AUS}} Cameron Waters

| Ford FG Falcon

| 1:28.3668

| 7 December 2014

GT3

| {{flagicon|GER}} Bernd Schneider

| Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3

| 1:28.6368{{Cite web |title=Australian GT Sydney Street 2012 |url=https://www.racingsportscars.com/race/Sydney-2012-12-02-23567.html |access-date=18 June 2022}}

| 2 December 2012

Porsche Carrera Cup

| {{flagicon|NZL}} Jonny Reid

| Porsche 911 (997) GT3 Cup

| 1:30.2244

| 4 December 2011

Formula Ford

| {{flagicon|AUS}} Anton De Pasquale

| Mygale SJ13a

| 1:34.1651

| 8 December 2013

Formula 4