Supercars head to Queensland and Northern Territory

Supercars has is this week undertaking the relocation of all Victorian and NSW teams to Queensland in response to rising COVID-19 infection rates in each state.

The competition has also confirmed that in a first for the Northern Territory, Darwin will host a doubleheader of Supercars action over two weekends at Hidden Valley this August.

The relocation of the NSW and Victorian teams will see close to 200 people, including broadcasters and officials, make the move, in addition to the teams and drivers based in Victoria and NSW, with Supercars’ Queensland-based teams offering their facilities for those affected.

Advising that the relocations comes after the Northern Territory and Queensland both harshened their restrictions for people travelling from much of Victoria and NSW, Supercars Chief Executive, Sean Seamer advised “I want to thank the Queensland and Northern Territory Governments for their support to continue our 2020 Championship at this time.

“Being able to prepare and operate out of Queensland enables us to lock in the key Northern legs of our championship and give the teams and TV crew the best access to resources for preparation.

“I would like to thank all of our Victorian and New South Wales people, teams, drivers and of course their families for their continued support, flexibility, and resilience.

“We’ve already seen numerous offers of support from Queensland teams for their interstate competitors, from unlimited access to workshops to accommodation and transport support.

“It’s been an overwhelmingly positive response from within the category to ensure our season perseveres in a year that will continue to challenge us all,” he said.

Queensland Tourism Minister, Kate Jones believes that the transition will be conducted safely, noting “because Queenslanders have done such a great job fighting COVID-19, we can now focus on our economic recovery

“Before COVID-19, major events pumped more than $800 million a year into our economy.

“Having every Supercars team from around the country relocate to Queensland is even more great exposure for our state at a time we need it most.”

The move to Queensland marks the second major sport to relocate the majority of its participants to Queensland with the growing concerns of COVID-19 rises in Victoria and NSW, with the AFL announcing a similar move, relocating all Victorian-based clubs to Queensland, earlier in the week.

Darwin doubleheader of Supercars action
Supercars  in the Northern Territory will see the BetEasy Darwin Triple Crown staged on 8th and 9th August followed by the Darwin SuperSprint on 15th and 16th August and will see crews and support teams based in Darwin for a couple of weeks.

Spectators will be permitted on all four race days, with 4500 tickets available per day and strict hygiene and social distancing measures in place.

In line with the approved COVIDSafe Plan, there will be no concerts or support categories this year, with the race weekends all about the Supercars action on the track.

Welcoming the two race events, Northern Territory Minister for Tourism, Sport and Culture, Lauren Moss, commented “this is an incredible opportunity for the Territory. Darwin has never hosted more than one weekend of Supercars racing per year, and to have two on the calendar is great news.

“We are the safest place in Australia right now, and one of the safest in the world - the doubleheader of Supercars racing is testament to that.”

Images: Supercars in Darwin (top) and Supercars Chief Executive Sean Seamer (below).