Australia’s number one motorsport event, held on the streets of Surfers Paradise on Queensland’s Gold Coast each October, will now be known as the SuperGP.

Sport Minister, Judy Spence, officially announced the new name, logo and website in Brisbane today for the event which will be one of the highlights of Queensland’s 150th birthday celebrations.

“2009 is a significant turning point in both the history of Queensland and for this fantastic event and the new SuperGP name is a combination of both the V8 SuperCars and A1GP,” said Ms Spence.

“The Queensland Government continues to support this iconic event and we know that not only is the SuperGP a fantastic spectacle of the World’s best drivers, whether they are A1GP or V8Supercars, it also attracts crowds of 300,000 people each year and provides a $60 million boost to the State’s economy.

“We’re proud of the fact the SuperGP also generates just over 550 casual full-time job equivalents, over 173,000 visitor nights, for an economic impact for Queensland and the Gold Coast of $60 million.”

Formerly known as the Gold Coast Indy 300, when its international component involved IndyCars from the US, the introduction of A1GP World Cup of Motorsport Powered by Ferrari, alongside Australia’s homegrown V8 Supercar Championship Series, encouraged the name change.

This year’s SuperGP from October 22-25 will be one of the first rounds of the 2009/10 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport and round 11 of the V8 Supercar Championship Series.

The event is produced through a partnership between the Queensland Government and IMG.

“The SuperGP will provide fans with the best of both worlds with 22 countries racing for glory in the A1GP event while V8 Supercar teams battle it out in an event which has traditionally had a huge influence on their Championship outcome.

“This year’s event will offer so many things that are fresh and we look forward to a new-look off-track calendar of events being rolled out over the coming months,” said Ms Spence.

Tickets for this year’s event will officially go on sale on March 23 through Ticketek on 1300 303 103 and through the event’s new website www.SuperGP.com.