Thursday, 10 September, 2015 SANDOWN ROARS AS VICTORIA TURBOCHARGES ITS EVENTS CALENDAR Victoria will stage another prized sporting event when the V8 Supercars Championship turns its focus to Sandown for the 46th Sandown 500. Premier Daniel Andrews today joined leading driver Craig Lowndes on a tour of the pit lane ahead of the first endurance events of the season. Lowndes is out to equal the mark of racing legend Allan Moffat, who won the Sandown event six times. There’s no place for major events and motorsports like Victoria, and our ever-impressive calendar is set to grow even larger. We’re already home to the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix and a suite of V8 Supercars Championship events. From next year, three of the first six V8 Supercars Championship events will be held right here in Victoria. From Formula 1 race day at Albert Park to Phillip Island, Sandown and Winton, Victoria has the best of motorsports. Some 50,000 fans will converge on Sandown over the coming days as the teams fine tune ahead of the Bathurst 1000. Practice begins tomorrow, before qualifying on Saturday and race day on Sunday. Events like Sandown bring visitors to Victoria from across Australia and the world. It means more jobs, more spending in our bars, restaurants and entertainment venues, and more growth for our economy. Our status as the events capital of Australia and the sporting capital of the world doesn’t happen by chance, and the Andrews Labor Government is working hard to stay number one. Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews “Sandown is at the heart of motorsports in Australia. Fans from all over have been coming here for decades to witness the best, including Victorian racing legends like Craig Lowndes.” “The biggest and best sporting events belong right here in Victoria, and having three of the first six V8 Supercars Championship events is exactly that.” “We’re fighting hard to win and bring big events to Victoria. A bigger calendar of major sporting events means more jobs, more spending and more growth for our state.” Media Contact: Lisa Tucker 0421 597 669| [email protected] .