Statistics put Eastern Creek on front line

Perhaps, aided and abetted by top V8 Supercar officials who regularly malign viewing facilities at the track, Eastern Creek has earnt a reputation which, for all intents and purposes, cost it a round of the championship in 2006.

Eastern Creek officials, however, point to collated V8 Supercar attendance figures to argue that criticism of the crowd figures, especially when compared with Oran Park, is unjustified. Here, bearing in mind the old line of "lies, damned lies and statistics" is a breakdown of three-day crowd figures at Eastern Creek, Oran Park and others, over the past decade.

By 2000 that was 22,650 to 40,500. So the argument was cut and dried. Then in 2001 the trend changed and Eastern Creek beat Oran Park 32,600 to 28,000. The Creek won again by a similar margin in 2002 before Oran Park regained the ascendancy in 2003 and 2004, again by a margin of about 2000 fans.

In 2005, Oran Park attracted 39,013 fans and Eastern Creek pulled 30,900.

When V8 Supercars promoted a second event at Eastern Creek in 2003 they drew 200 fewer fans than Oran Park and 1500 more fans than the earlier Eastern Creek round.

The next year when the V8s again promoted their own race they blew the opposition away with a figure of 52,918 to 30,000 and 28,000 respectively. But that figure is partially skewed by a wet Sunday at Eastern Creek.

Since the start of this century these figures are as good as or better than the three Victorian circuits of Winton, Sandown and Phillip Island. V8 officials maintain Eastern Creek needs to do more to promote its events but the venue has been invited back to the fold for the 2007 season. At which stage fans of both Sydney venues will be able to vote with their feet.