First Paris, next Sydney? Officials could host races on iconic Harbour Bridge

The Champs-Elysees in Paris is set to be first on the grid but Racing New South Wales officials appear open to bringing street racing under lights to the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The concept, proposed by British firm City Racing, is believed to have a working date of September 16 for a meeting on the Champs-Elysees, while it is understood Racing NSW is keen to see the use of the synthetic paletted racing surface elsewhere before committing to staging the unique event.

Street racing requires approvals from several levels of government, which has proved the stumbling block in Britain, where it was hoped it could grace Oxford Street in London, only for Westminster Council to withdraw support.

A six-race meeting at the Harbour Bridge could run in conjunction with The Everest or The Championships meetings and prove a multi-million dollar advertisement for racing in Sydney.

Peter V’landys, chief executive of Racing NSW, said: “We’re monitoring what is happening around the world. Any discussions we would have would be commercial in confidence.”

The Champs-Elysees meeting has been approved by the Champs-Élysées Committee and local government in Paris and would be part of a promotion of the reopening of Longchamp this year.

Other cities are also being considered for the races, in which a number of the world's leading jockeys would compete aboard mid-level horses over sprint distances.

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