Motorsport: Hamilton geared up for its 'comeback' weekend

The V8s will make their presence felt in Hamilton this weekend. Photo / Alan Gibson

It's never been away, but Hamilton's ITM400 V8 series is making a comeback of sorts.

Nearly all the grandstand seats have sold out for this year's event, plus all its flexi-tickets, which allow holders to move through designated stands around the 3.4km circuit.

It is a resurgence for the three-day event - New Zealand's largest - that had experienced a steady decline in crowds since the much-hyped inaugural meet three years ago, when 172,000 people attended.

That figure dropped to 150,000 at the height of the recession in 2009, and last year a dramatic dip in sales meant just 105,000 people through the gates.

The corporate clientele have also come back in force after a noticeable drop-off last year, with every corporate tent sold out.

ITM 400 general manager Greg Mosen is confident they will meet the target of 120,000 people - and hopes to get even more.

"The first year was outstanding, but it's been a bit of a struggle since," he said. "There is still a recession, a Rugby World Cup later this year and of course what's happened in Christchurch has affected a lot of people."

This year there's more entertainment off the track and on it - with five support races, stunt performers, rides for children, more beer gardens and rockers ZZ Top and punk favourites Good Charlotte performing after racing on Saturday and Sunday.

But despite the changes, Paul Smart, whose Frankton home is closed in by concrete barricades for five days and sits right at the end of the Mill St straight where the V8-powered cars reach 248km/h, is not happy.

He said he struck a deal with the previous promoters, Steve Vuleta and Dean Calvert, for not opposing the event's resource consent. In return, they paid for a trip to Australia with $5000 spending money for him in 2008 and gave him cash the following two years during the event. But he said the new promoters, V8 Supercars Australia and the Hamilton City Council, had not honoured the agreement and their offer of six tickets was not enough.

The Waikato Times said a local pet store near Mr Smart's house was being paid $56,000 each year for inconvenience caused by the V8s.

The deal still stands with the city council honouring that arrangement but not Mr Smart's.

"I'm in a situation where nothing has changed as far as the V8s are concerned and I have no choice but to go down the road," he said.

"My deal was for $7000. But I'm in a position where I am being treated like a second-class New Zealander."

Mr Mosen said when V8 Supercars Australia and the Hamilton City Council took over the event last June they were unaware of a handful of arrangements that had been made between the previous promoters and locals.

He said they had sent a letter to Mr Smart two months ago to try to sort the matter out with an offer of security-guarded VIP parking for six cars, six tickets to the event and changes to the track layout on turn one so he could access his property.

Mr Mosen said they had sorted issues with other locals but were yet to hear back from Mr Smart.

This afternoon V8 drivers Kiwi hopefuls Greg Murphy and Shane van Gisbergen are among drivers who will meet and greet fans at the official ITM400 Hamilton autograph session at Centre Place from 3 to 4.45pm.