Packdown ticks like clockwork
THE checkered flag had barely been waved when the epic packing up task began at Reid Park.
Hundreds of workers immediately started restoring the site of the Townsville 400 back to its usual best.
Event manager Sam Pearce said the marquees were first to be cleared while all three pedestrian bridges had been taken down by yesterday afternoon.
Stage and production equipment that supported Saturday night’s concert was taken away yesterday morning and the big top was due to come down in the afternoon.
What takes four weeks to set up can be brought down in just over a week.
“It’s much easier to take it out than put it in,” Mr Pearce said.
He said a core team of managers travelled to each Supercars event but local labour was used to help put up and break down the infrastructure.
Two events teams leapfrogged each other throughout the Supercars season.
Mr Pearce said debriefs would be held over the next two weeks.
Planning for next year’s Townsville 400 will begin in earnest later this year.
Mr Pearce said the Reid Park site would be completely cleared within a fortnight.
Boundary St and Charters Towers Rd were expected to be reopened in time for this morning’s traffic to resume as normal.
The weekend’s event was declared a success, with the crowd up by 5061 people this year compared with last year’s event. Final figure was 147,359 fans for the weekend.
Townsville City Council’s acting Mayor Les Walker said the 10th anniversary race of the Supercars was a spectacular success.
“The Watpac Townsville 400 is the biggest event in the North and the 10th anniversary was something special,” Mr Walker said.