The city of Newcastle in New South Wales has always been a big revhead area of Australia, and now the region’s rich car history has been brought to light in a brand-new documentary.

More Than Hoons: 100 Years of Newcastle Motorsport is the latest episode of the Stories of Our Town documentary series, which explores the history of Newcastle. The series is put together by former Machine Gun Fellatio songwriter and producer Chit Chat von Loopin Stab (aka Glenn Dormand) and Tony Whittaker of Carnivore Films.

The half-hour episode documents Newcastle’s history of automotive fun – both legal and illegal – which begins as far back as the 1920s, when Newcastle Speedway was born at the hands of Johnnie Hoskins.

A big part of Newcastle’s history was the BHP steelworks, which was a hotbed for revheads who’d work their backsides off by day to afford to buy and build their dream machines, which could be seen all over the streets of the city every weekend.

Another formative location in the city’s car scene was Kooragang Island, just north of the Newy CBD. The island served as Newcastle’s unofficial drag strip for years, quickly becoming the home of the city’s illegal street racing and burnouts – in other words, the ultimate petrolhead hangout.

While much of what’s covered in the doco is long gone, Newcastle’s locals are still hungry for a proper place to race and enjoy their machines. One event recently added to the city’s calendar is the Supercars Championship, which will be kicking off its 2023 season in the streets of the city next weekend, 10-12 March.