There will be extra motivation for fans to attend this month’s Coates Hire Newcastle 500 with the brand-new S5000 race-car to make its public debut. 

It will be the first chance for fans to see the highly-anticipated open wheel race-car in action, with the S5000 to complete a variety of demonstration laps throughout the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship’s final round.

Parading the car will be four-time Bathurst 1000 and 1994 New Zealand Grand Prix winner Greg Murphy, as well as two-time Australian Driver’s Champion, John Bowe.

With Bowe to take over driving duties on Saturday and Sunday, the Supercars Hall of Famer is thrilled to test what will certainly be one of the fastest open wheelers on Australia soil.

“To be one of the first people to drive the S5000 car is really special,” Bowe said.

“These will only be demonstration laps, but it is really going to give the Newcastle fans a real treat. Big, loud, modern race cars around a spectacular track.  

“I grew up in open wheelers, I love them, and the introduction of this category is the best piece of news in Australia since Formula Atlantic was here in 1981. 

“With the new monocoque, big engine and the cockpit ‘Halo’, it will be an awesome class. The aero will be good but not over the top, and the cars will be quick. 

“If we’re ever going to have a chance to breed a race-ready Formula 1 driver in Australia, this will be the car and the category.”

Making the S5000’s public debut even more special is the fact that it will be the first time that local fans get to see a car as powerful as the S5000 in the flesh in Newcastle.

Coates Hire Newcastle 500 Event Manager Kurt Sakzewski was proud the street circuit was able to provide a suitable environment for the car’s first demonstration.

“The S5000 will be a great spectacle for fans as a fantastic addition to the weekend’s entertainment," Sakzewski said.

"This is the first time the Newcastle circuit has hosted an open wheel racer. We are really looking forward to seeing the S5000 in action and how it fares on the tough street layout."

Before the S5000 makes public appearance in Newcastle, the car will have an official launch at Sydney Motorsport Park on Monday 19 November.

Following the demonstration laps at the Coates Hire Newcastle 500, the S5000 will head west to Adelaide to complete more demonstration laps during the Adelaide Motorsport Festival on 1-2 December.