High octane V8 Supercars, iconic Australians bands ICEHOUSE and Choirboys and the spectacular Stadium Super Trucks will be part of the biggest and best Castrol EDGE Townsville 400 in July. V8 Supercars stars Chaz Mostert and Scott Pye today joined Stadium Super Truck star Paul Morris to officially launch the event in Townsville.

Created by former IndyCar racer Robby Gordon, the 600hp V8 Stadium Super Trucks will make their first visit to North Queensland, with their 200kmh plus speeds and massive jumps sure to thrill the crowds at Reid Park. General admission trackside tickets for the event start at $46, with Saturday Rock ‘n’ Race tickets starting at just $81, including access to the concert featuring ICEHOUSE and Choirboys. Children aged 12 and under are admitted free with a paying adult.

V8 Supercars Managing Director Matt Braid said the event would be the biggest and best since it started in 2009. “The Castrol EDGE Townsville 400 is the premier motorsport and entertainment event in North Queensland and that is thanks to the people who have supported it from the start,” he said. “From the Stadium Super Trucks and the Saturday night concert to the Disney Zone for our younger fans, we have everyone covered. But most of all it is sensational value for the fans and a show the people of North Queensland won’t want to miss.”

Queensland Minister for Tourism and Major Events Kate Jones said the on and off-track entertainment would help promote North Queensland as a premier events destination. “The Castrol EDGE Townsville 400 showcases the city as a world class sporting events destination, boosting tourism and creating jobs in the region,” Ms Jones said. Castrol Marketing Director Diana Hall said that Castrol was proud to again be the naming rights sponsor of the Castrol EDGE Townsville 400, North Queensland’s premier motorsport and entertainment event.

“V8 Supercars is such an iconic sport, where the cars and the drivers battle it out each and every time they hit the track. Endurance and strength are pivotal and together with the dynamic crowds that the event draws each year, make this event such a massive success,” she said. Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said the Castrol EDGE Townsville 400 would bring excitement and entertainment to the region. “In our 150th year, it’s appropriate that it looks like this year could be the best one yet. The event has always been very well supported by Townsville residents, and brings a huge influx of visitors and offers a fantastic boost to the local economy,” she said.

DJR Team Penske racer Scott Pye had a top-five finish in Townsville last year and said he was looking forward to returning to the unique ‘street and park’ layout. “I enjoy Townsville as spectators can get up really close to the racing and there is a great party atmosphere,” said Pye. Supercheap Auto Racing young gun Chaz Mostert agrees, saying that the North Queensland fans are some of the most passionate in the country. “The Castrol EDGE Townsville 400 is always an awesome event. It’s one of the great atmosphere rounds with the rock ‘n’ race aspect of the weekend and it’s always good to get back to some warmer weather,” he said.

On track the V8 Supercars will be complemented by quality support categories including the V8 Supercars Dunlop Series, V8 Utes and Australian GT Championship. The Castrol EDGE Townsville 400 will be held from 8-10 July and is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland as part of the It’s Live! in Queensland major events calendar.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (October 16, 2014) – Stadium Super Truck series founder Robby Gordon and South Australian Tourism Minister, Leon Bignell, announced today the SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road Presented by TRAXXAS 2015 season will start in Adelaide, Australia, in conjunction with the Clipsal 500 Adelaide.

The Clipsal 500 Adelaide attracted more than 273,600 spectators over four days in 2014. The invitation from Australia’s premier motorsports event is a testament to the rapid growth and popularity of the TRAXXAS-sponsored Stadium Super Trucks (SST).

“The fast growth of the SST series has been incredible and for us to take our series outside North America for the first time is a huge accomplishment, so we were very selective with which event we chose,” Gordon said. “The Clipsal 500 is one of the biggest and best entertainment events in Australia, so for us it was a perfect fit. We know how much Australians enjoy sports, and particularly auto racing, and we know that our TRAXXAS SSTs will put on a great show. It will be nothing like anything race fans in Australia have ever seen before.”

The SSTs will be introduced to the Australian public on Feb. 26 with two practice sessions, followed by one race each day Feb. 27-March 1. Each race will feature a mix of some of Australia’s most popular and well-known drivers and an equal number of drivers from the SST series who compete regularly in the United States.

The 14-turn street circuit at Victoria Park will be a spectacular venue for the SSTs to fly over man-made ramps placed strategically throughout the circuit while reaching speeds of nearly 150 mph (240 kph) on the longest straights. The trucks will race the same course as the V8 Supercars.

“We expect Robby Gordon’s Stadium Super Trucks to attract new audiences to South Australia from around Australia and even overseas with its cult following,” Bignell said. “The Clipsal 500 will be the first event in Australia to feature Robby Gordon’s Stadium Super Trucks which is a terrific endorsement for the event and the State of South Australia.”

Clipsal 500 CEO Mark Warren said his team is always looking to introduce new categories to Australian motorsport fans: “We introduced utes to the motor racing scene back in 2001, which regularly rates as the second most popular category for Clipsal 500 fans in post-event polling. Stadium Super Trucks was a huge hit at X Games Austin and we expect they’ll be one of the most exciting categories to race around Adelaide’s iconic street circuit in 2015.”

Finishing only its second season of competition in the United States, the series has raced in major metropolitan cities, including: Los Angeles; Austin, Texas; Detroit; Toronto; San Diego; Las Vegas; St. Petersburg, Florida; Indianapolis; Phoenix; and others. The SST series will complete its second season on Nov. 1 and 5 in Las Vegas racing directly alongside the famed Las Vegas strip during the annual SEMA Show, the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world.

The identically prepared, purpose-built race trucks provide an amazing platform for competition, with drivers from a variety of backgrounds battling side-by-side in a test of the best driver rather than engineering. Each highly specialized truck makes approximately 600 horsepower and races on DOT-approved all-terrain Toyo Tires. In addition to Gordon, among the drivers that have competed in the SST series include: IndyCar drivers E.J. Viso, Paul Tracy, Townsend Bell and Arie Luyendyk Jr.; NASCAR driver Justin Lofton; off-road stars B.J. Baldwin, Sheldon Creed, Scotty Steele and Keegan Kincaid; and sports car drivers Aaron Bambach and Burt Jenner.
More information about Clipsal 500 Adelaide: http://www.clipsal500.com.au/