TWO DECADES OF
TOP END SUPERCARS
It was a big call back in the late 90’s as
the Northern Territory Government
worked solidly on attracting and
developing major sporting events
to their distinctly unique region of
Australia. They had experienced
outstanding success with the Finke
Desert Off Road Race for many years
prior, the International Solar Vehicle
Challenge and the growth of their
own Darwin Racing Carnival among
others.
It was no secret that the Northern
Territory wanted its own high profile
national sporting event and with its
own motor racing circuit near Darwin
called Hidden Valley Raceway, set
its sights on securing a round of the
then newly established, Australian V8
Supercars Championship.
The deal was done and in 1998
a massive convoy of Supercar
transporters made its way north
for the long trip to Darwin, for the
first ever top end round of the
Championship.
The tropical race venue was an
instant hit with the drivers, teams
and fans, enabling them to escape
their frigid southern state winters
for a week of brilliant sunshine and
warmth coupled with an infectious
local enthusiasm from the Territory
fans.
That 1998 convoy of trucks was
welcomed to the City of Darwin by
tens of thousands of locals who lined
the roadways, overhead walkways
and bridges leading into the city to
marvel as the Supercar show pulled
into town. This started a unique
Darwin tradition that has continued
each year onwards with similar levels
12 CAPRICORN IGNITION JULY 2017
of local interest. Now every year,
once the Supercar transporters have
emptied their precious Supercar
cargo at Hidden Valley Raceway, they
are polished to perfection and then
driven into town along that same
route that they first used in 1998, to a
rapturous public reception in the city
centre.
The lead Supercar transporter
accepts the Northern Territory flag
in the centre of town from the Chief
Minister and after much waving and
insanely loud air horn blowing, the
convoy continues on its way through
town and back to Hidden Valley
Raceway. The sight is truly incredible
as this multi-million dollar cavalcade
of colour, noise and sheer brute
size powers through the relatively
small Darwin inner city streets, air-
horns blazing, surrounded by fans
holding up endless phone cameras
accompanied by curious tourists.
The race event itself has seen a
number of incarnations over the
past twenty years of either three or
two race formats, all linked to what
is known as the Darwin Triple Crown.
In either a two or three race format,
over the past 20 years no driver has
yet claimed the pole position and the
race wins that make up the Darwin
Triple Crown, clearly displaying how
difficult this is to achieve.
Many have come tantalisingly
close, including Kiwi racer Scott
McLaughlin this year. The 24 year old
ace dominated the top ten shoot-out
and the second Darwin race, but was
runner-up in the first race, narrowly
missing out on the Darwin Triple
Crown.