ALMOST 16,000 Supercross fans sat trackside at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday to watch Matt Moss take out the Newcastle Triple Crown.
The Australian Supercross Championship returned to the city's stadium for the first time in 13 years and kicked off a summer of events for the venue, including Elton John's January concerts.
"The Supercross crowd was fantastic," McDonald Jones Stadium venue manager Dean Mantle said.
"It was such a positive crowd and the whole event ran really smoothly.
"It was positive for us as a venue also."
According to ticket sale information the Triple Crown, which saw 70 competitors take on the technical Newcastle dirt track, brought visitors in from Sydney as well as the Mid North Coast and other large regional hubs like Tamworth and Armidale.
"It was a real economic boost for the city," he said.
"These kinds of events will start to become a long-term focus for the venue into the future."
While things ran smoothly when it came to getting ticket holders in and out of the venue, as well as the running of the competition, there was one big difference between football fans and supercross enthusiasts.
"Hot chips, we went through a lot of hot chips," he said.
Fans had almost eaten the stadium out of chips on Saturday, before an emergency pallet of potatoes showed up to keep the hordes well-fed.
AME Management ran the event and general manager Ben Williams said he was "proud to deliver" something for all of the motor sports lovers of the Hunter Region.
"Great venue, great people, Newcastle has been amazing," her said.
The series now heads to the final round in Wagga Wagga on December 3.
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