There has been an exodus of Main Beach residents ahead of the Gold Coast 500 Supercars Championship, which returns to the city today after a two-year COVID-forced hiatus.
Main Beach Association president Susan Donovan said many locals left the coast during the event and there was a "resigned acceptance" by many who remained inside, or around, the race precinct.
"We don't want to be wet blankets," she said.
"We obviously welcome any big events that bring a lot of income into the area but, in saying that, it's massively inconvenient.
"Apart from the noise on Friday, Saturday and Sunday … it's really the lack of access in and out of Main Beach.
"It's pretty annoying, but I guess we've got to put up with it for the greater good."
Ms Donovan said the track construction in the lead-up to the race had also caused problems for residents with regular streets closed and detours put in place.
"It's handled very professionally and they [race organisers] have given very good information to all of the residents of Main Beach about what you can do and what you can't do," she said.
Julie Maxwell has operated a beauty salon on Tedder Avenue at Main Beach for 30 years and said the motorsport event was bad for her business.
"I just grin and bear it after 30 years," she said.
"A lot of our locals go away and a lot of the people who come to the Gold Coast 500 are not our clientele.
"At least they don't block the street off anymore, that used to be a bad thing. At least people can travel through Main Beach now."
Mark Perry and his wife, Natalie, opened The Local restaurant on Tedder Avenue last year and they are experiencing their first Gold Coast 500.
Mr Perry said he had noticed a lot of his regulars had disappeared but he was open-minded about the event.
"We've got to look at the broader picture and the Gold Coast is a tourist town," he said.
"We do see a lot of the locals will actually take off and get away from the craziness, but they get replaced with other people.
"While we don't like to see our locals get pushed out, there are always pros and cons to anything."
Supercars organisers say the Gold Coast 500 is set to inject $42 million into the Gold Coast economy.
Drivers excited
Driver Anton de Pasquale said drivers were excited about returning to the challenging Surfers Paradise street circuit.
"It's been a few years since we've been here and it's such a crazy track," he said.
"It's one of the hardest tracks as well; there's not much room for error.
"Anytime we're in a big city, racing around the streets, up against fences, the event is out of control and definitely one of the better ones."
Recent Bathurst 1000 race winner Shane van Gisbergen can wrap up his third Supercars Drivers' Title this weekend as he heads into the event with a 567-point lead over Cam Waters.
Supercars practice sessions begin today and the 250-kilometre race will be held on both Saturday and Sunday.
