Hamilton set for vroom with a view

Dean Calvert in the improved Mill Street grandstand. Photo / Sarah Ivey

The streets of central Hamilton are set to erupt with the city revving up for the Hamilton 400 V8 series on Friday.

While ticket sales are slower than last year and harder economic times have put corporate hospitality sales down 30 per cent, at least 120,000 people are expected at this year's event.

Hamilton V8 400 promoter, Dean Calvert, said the event had undergone a number of tweaks to ensure a "quality experience".

Roads on the 3.2 km circuit have been levelled while organisers have removed a chicane on Hinemoa St, meaning faster lap times are likely.

But the most noticeable changes are to the grandstands - the cause of gripes at last year's inaugural event.

Dozens of last year's ticketholders laid complaints against race organisers claiming the best view they had from their $140 grandstand seats was that of speeding car rooftops.

Mr Calvert said the two Mill St grandstands have had their seating numbers reduced and have been moved back.

The grandstand on Hinemoa St has tripled in size.

"Last year we didn't have anything to go by when we were setting this up and some people complained they could only see the roofs of the cars,"

he said. He said 85 per cent of last year's disgruntled grandstand ticket holders had kept faith in the event and accepted the promoters' offer of discounted tickets for this year's race.

Mr Calvert said the recession had "definitely had an effect" with corporate hospitality sales down about 30 per cent for this year's event.

The number of foreign visitors in Hamilton for the race, most of whom come from Australia, was likely to be well down on last year's figure of 5000.

But Mr Calvert said the flipside was that many Kiwi motorsport fans who made the annual trek to Australia were likely to come to Hamilton instead.

About 80 per cent of all tickets have been sold and he was confident the event's daily capacity of 50,000 would be reached.

"People still need to treat themselves," he said.

"It's not something that happens next week or the week after ... it's the only event of its kind in New Zealand."

Accommodation is again at a premium for this year's event with solid bookings at motels and hotels throughout the city and in the surrounding Waikato townships.

The manager of the Hamilton I-site visitors centre, Kathryn Hunter, said motorsport fans could still find a bed at a couple of Hamilton school dormitories, which for $95 a night included clean linen, showers and a continental breakfast.