Thousands of motorheads go wild for weekend of Supercars at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway

ALMOST 4500 people turned out to take in the sound of tyres screeching and smell of burning rubber on the second and final day of the BetEasy Darwin Triple Crown.

TYRES screamed and the smell of burning rubber filled the air at the Hidden Valley Raceway on the second and final day of the BetEasy Darwin Triple Crown on Sunday, where close to 4500 people watched on as Jamie Whincup took home the round’s top honours.

Fans were relieved to see the event go ahead after a series of disruptions thrown up by COVID-19 and among them were keen motor-racing fans Amy and Dean Christopherson.

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Wearing matching Supercars T-shirts, the pair said they had travelled from Alice Springs to Darwin – and then extended their trip – to watch the Supercars racing this year.

“We ended up having to extend our leave to be able to get here, so we really wanted to be here,” Ms Christopherson said.

“The atmosphere is great. It’s just totally different to watching it on the television.”

Chris Renehan, a former speedway driver and life member of MotorSports NT and Northline Speedway, was also in the crowd with his daughter Emma, who was attending for the first time.

Scott McLaughlin of Shell V-Power Racing on his way to winning race two of the BetEasy Darwin Triple Crown as the sizeable crowd watches on. Picture: Che Chorley

He said he had been glad to hear the Supercars would go ahead this year – and see a second event added as well.

“I think our government handled it well, and for that, we’ve got the double header-up here whereas they can’t race in Victoria or WA or NSW,” he said.

“We’re lucky and it’s benefiting us as spectators.”

Nat Chirgwie said she and her family attended the Supercars every year.

Supercars chief operating officer Shane Howard said it was a relief the BetEasy Darwin Triple Crown had been able to go ahead despite the coronavirus-related disruptions, which included travel delays for drivers after the NT Government declared, then revoked, parts of Queensland as COVID-19 hot spots.

“It was absolutely fantastic for us to see fans here at the track this weekend, though obviously they were here in a reduced amount,” he said.

The drivers from the Top End Drift Association kept the crowds entertained between races at the Hidden Valley Raceway. Picture: Che Chorley

“Without fans, you don’t have a lot of atmosphere.

“We’re very thankful we can come to the NT this year and do not only one race, but two (despite the pandemic). It’s a proud moment … and we’re very appreciative of everybody’s efforts in making all that happen.”

NT Major Events chief executive Tim Watsford said the event had been “true motorsport” this year in featuring only Supercars races and no support categories or concerts.

He said with capped crowds of 4500 per day, the turnout had been about a quarter of the usual size.

“We came in with a hopeful target of 9000. We’ll do the numbers tonight and we’re hopefully going to get close to that,” he said.

Amy and Dean Christopherson travelled from Alice Springs to Darwin – and then extended their trip – to see the BetEasy Darwin Triple Crown. Picture: Che Chorley

“Unfortunately this event does draw the majority of its crowd from interstate which we couldn’t allow this year due to hotspots and COVID, so the fact that Territorians got a special treat is a real privilege.

“The crowds were where we wanted them to be, and we’re hoping next weekend they come out again.”

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The second event of the Darwin Supercars double-header, the CoreStaff Darwin SuperSprint, is on next weekend.

It will be the first time in its history the Supercars has run back to back events in the same location.