$3m upgrades to Hidden Valley underway as Territory revs up for Supercars
The first tranche of $3m worth of upgrades to the Hidden Valley motorsport complex are underway as the Territory revs up for the Supercars this weekend.
Motorsport
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The first tranche of $3m upgrades to the Hidden Valley motorsport complex have been completed as the Territory revs up for the Supercars this weekend.
The Hidden Valley track has undergone $400,000 in safety upgrades, which include the installations of concrete barriers, triple guardrail, footpaths and stormwater drainage at the northern section of the track to improve safety for drivers.
There are another $300,000 in upgrades underway with designs to improve the pathway at the spectator’s hairpin, replace lighting at grass pits with LED lights and design for a southern access road.
Works on the first stage in the Hidden Valley Master Plan will begin in the coming months with the commencement of a disability access audit.
The first stage will also include upgrades to pit areas, a new control tower and medical centre, and creating a new entrance to the precinct.
Motorsports NT president Gary Pendlebury said the upgrades helped put Darwin on the map as one of the top racetracks in the country.
“To see this sort of facility in a place like Darwin is probably an eye opener for people who have never been here before,” he said.
“And from a local perspective, people that actually live in town or visit throughout the Territory, they can be proud of what we’ve got.”
He said growth in the sport had been strong in recent years.
“We’ve grown out to just over 10,000 active participants with motorsport throughout the territory, our spectators are in the hundreds of thousands.”
He said it took “months and months” of planning to prepare the facility for the supercars events, which kicks off with the night transporter convoy on Wednesday night.
Chief Minister Eva Lawler said Supercars was the likely biggest event in the NT’s calendar, with more than 40,000 spectators expected at the weekend.
Sport Minister Kate Worden said: “Motorsport is incredibly popular in the Territory – from active participants to fans who just love attending the Supercars weekend at Hidden Valley.”
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