Darwin Supercars: Returning champ Scott McLaughlin among group of 40 in quarantine

THE reigning Supercars champion is among a group of more than 40 people who have gone into mandatory hotel quarantine ahead of next weekend’s delayed Darwin Triple Crown

Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin is in mandatory quarantine in Darwin.

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REIGNING Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin is among a group of more than 40 people who have gone into mandatory hotel quarantine ahead of next weekend’s delayed Darwin Triple Crown.

The Shell V-Power racing team’s star, who became the first driver to ever win the Darwin Triple Crown last year, arrived in Darwin on a charter flight with a group of other team members and officials on Wednesday night.

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A Supercars spokesman said the group of more than 40 also consisted of other members from the Shell V-Power team, including driver Fabian Coulthard and the Red Bull Holden team.

Both teams had their operations based near Brisbane and Logan, areas, which have recently been declared hot spots by NT Chief Health Officer Hugh Heggie.

The H Hotel on Smith St is being used to quarantine Supercars drivers and crews. Picture GLENN CAMPBELL

Instead of having to quarantine at the Howard Springs facility, the group has bunkered down at the H Hotel on Smith Street where they will remain in quarantine until next Friday.

They are expected to be released in time for the Darwin Triple Crown next weekend.

NT Major Events chief executive Tim Watsford said they were sent to the hotel because the Howard Springs facility was already “quite full”.

An NT Health spokeswoman said the group would only need to be in hotel quarantine in Darwin until next Friday because the crews had already been living in isolation and tested regularly in Queensland for a week (since July 31).

“There will be environmental officers regularly checking their hotel rooms to ensure everyone is following the rules, they will be treated like everyone else who’s ever been in hotel quarantine,” the spokeswoman said.

Scott McLaughlin is one of the Supercars drivers in quarantine. Picture: Handout/Mark Horsburgh/Edge Photographics via Getty Images

“All team members have been undergoing regular testing, with no positive results returned to date.

“They will continue to undergo regular testing while in the Territory.

“The Chief Health Officer has been working with NT Major Events and Supercars over the last few weeks providing continual detailed advice around managing the risk.”

She said the group in quarantine at H Hotel would be kept away from other team members.

The cost of the rooms will be at the expense of Supercars.

Supercars had originally planned to hold a double-header at Hidden Valley across the next two weekends to catch up on races in its COVID-­ravaged season.

Those plans were delayed when the NT declared Brisbane and Logan COVID-19 hot spots last Friday, forcing some team members based in those areas to undergo mandatory quarantine on arrival.

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The Darwin Triple Crown at Hidden Valley will now take place the following weekend on August 15-16.

The new date for the Darwin SuperSprint, which had originally been planned for August 15-16, is still yet to be confirmed.

Mr Watsford said all Supercar team transporters carrying cars and garage equipment had now crossed the NT border, with the last few expected to arrive at Hidden Valley on Friday night.

It comes after team transporters were stranded at the at the Queensland/NT border near Camooweal on Tuesday and Wednesday while awaiting for the all-clear from NT health authorities.

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