BTCC GOES LIVE ON STREETS OF NEWCASTLEGATESHEAD
Britain’s most exciting motor racing cars will take
to NewcastleGateshead’s Quayside for the Dunlop MSA
British Touring Car Championship’s first ever live city
street demonstration on Thursday 14 July – just two
days before the series bursts into action at the nearby Croft
circuit.
From 18.00 hours the BTCC cars will give demonstration runs
along the city’s hugely popular Quayside in front of
the famous Gateshead Millennium Bridge and The Sage Gateshead.
The event will inevitably draw great attention to the Croft
race weekend of 16-17 July and generate tremendous exposure
for NewcastleGateshead and the BTCC. The crowds will also
get to meet the BTCC’s star drivers during a special
autograph session that will include plenty of give-aways.
ITV will film the event and include coverage in its live
BTCC broadcast from Croft on Sunday 17 July.
BTCC Series Director Alan Gow said: “We are delighted
to announce this fantastic event which has required a considerable
amount of work behind the scenes. Newcastle City Council and
destination marketing agency NewcastleGateshead Initiative
have been terrific to work with and their determination to
make this event happen should not be underestimated. NewcastleGateshead
is clearly a venue with great forward thinking and vision.
We cannot thank them enough.
“The event, starring at least five cars and drivers,
will make for a terrific spectacle and enable the BTCC to
demonstrate to a new audience of thousands just why it continues
to stand out as Britain’s biggest motor sport attraction.”
David Faulkner, Newcastle’s Lead Councillor for Culture
and Sport commented: “This will be a tremendous appetiser
before the arrival of the Tall Ships event the following week
and provides a different event for an alternative audience.”
Carol Bell, Head of Programme Development at NewcastleGateshead
Initiative added: “Sport is at the very heart of North
East culture and this is a great opportunity for local people
to learn more about one of the fastest growing sports in the
UK. National television exposure for the iconic landscape
of NewcastleGateshead is also a great advantage of staging
the event here.
“The BTCC event marks the start of a very busy time
for the city. It will be followed by the only UK visit this
year of the magnificent Tall Ships from 25-28 July –
the highlight of NewcastleGateshead’s International
Festival of Rivers & The Sea.”
Jason Plato, who races for the SEAT Sport UK team, is one
of the drivers who will star in the BTCC event. With his NewcastleGateshead
roots, 2001 BTCC champion Plato will very much be the local
hero at the Croft BTCC meeting.
“This is the perfect event for the people of NewcastleGateshead,”
enthused Plato. “The city and the people in it know
how to have fun and enjoy life. I am very passionate about
this event. I grew up in NewcastleGateshead and love the city
and the North East. I can’t wait to appear before the
crowds.”
In order to ensure a safe event there will be a strictly
no alcohol policy on the Quayside.
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