Feeney tips Newcastle as 'craziest race ever'

The upcoming Thrifty Newcastle 500 bodes to be the “craziest motor race ever”, says Broc Feeney.

The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will commence at the Thrifty Newcastle 500 on March 10-12. Tickets are on sale on Supercars.com and Ticketek.com.

The brand-new Gen3 regulations and a lack of form guide — coupled with the challenging Newcastle circuit — has 2023 braced for a dramatic start.

Teams and drivers have only tested their new cars in past weeks, with all 25 new cars sharing the track for the first time last week.

Couple that with Newcastle’s first race in over three years, and Feeney has identified a recipe for all-out action.

Additionally, Feeney is one of nine drivers in the 2023 field to have never raced in the main game in Newcastle.

Will Brown, Brodie Kostecki, Thomas Randle, Declan Fraser, Jack Smith, Cameron Hill, Matt Payne and Bryce Fullwood are all full-time Newcastle rookies.

“It’s going to be wild,” Feeney told Supercars.com.

“The track’s pretty crazy, but taking these new cars there for the first time is going to be hard work.

“We’re all looking forward to it, at this point, it’s going to be anyone’s game.

'A lot of concrete walls... unbelievable circuit'

“It’s going to be the craziest motor race, probably ever. No one knows what to expect.

“As a driver, it’s going to be hard work — but as a fan, it’s going to be a lot of fun.

“If I was you, I’d be there."

Feeney’s rivals agree, as does teammate Shane van Gisbergen, who labelled the first round as a “tough” challenge.

James Courtney forecasts “hightail” engineering around what Chaz Mostert described as a “mini Macau”.

The 2.6km circuit, according to Craig Lowndes, is also akin to the challenging Monaco circuit, given its tight confines and impressive backdrop.

Lowndes raced in Newcastle in 2017 and 2018, the latter being his final full-time appearance before retirement.

“There are a lot of concrete walls. It’s very tight in sections, it’s fast down the back section... it’s like Monaco,” Lowndes told Supercars.com.

“You get out of Turn 1, you run up to Turn 2, then you spend your time going all the way down the coastline.

“It’s an unbelievable circuit. I last ran there in ’18, I’ve got fond memories of the place.

“It’s a special place to be part of it as a driver — but as a spectator, you don’t get more beauty than a place like that on a waterfront.”