KEY POINTS:
New Zealand's most high profile V8 Supercars driver Greg Murphy believes the Hamilton street race will be a resounding success.
The Hamilton City Council has been granted resource consent for a 3.4 kilometre street circuit around the CBD from April 2008 for seven years.
Pukekohe will host the event for one last time next year.
New Zealand driver Greg Murphy is singing the praises of the decision to bring the V8 Supercars to the streets of Hamilton from 2008, saying that a street race is better for spectators.
He says a street race in a town has a lot more going for it than a race track because the circuit, restaurants and bars are all in one area.
Murphy believes it is great for New Zealand, it is great for the V8 Supercars, it is great for the New Zealand drivers and it is great for New Zealand motorsport, and a look at Adelaide shows how successful a street circuit can be.
The inaugural street race will host more than 150,000 people and generate an estimated $20 million for the region.
The 2006 V8 Supercars Championship has two more rounds to go.
There is racing on Friday and Saturday in Bahrain before the teams return to Australia for the final round at Phillip Island.
Rick Kelly leads the championship by 73 points from Craig Lowndes.
- NEWSTALK ZB
