Supercars fans vital for region

TOWNSVILLE’S biggest show has been locked in.

Now it’s just a matter of whether crowds will be allowed in or not.

Supercars CEO Sean Seamer yesterday confirmed Townsville would host its round of the motorsport extravaganza on August 29-30 following months of uncertainty because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two big casualties of the Supercars’ calendar revamp have been claimed, with the Newcastle and Gold Coast circuits missing out completely, so having the Supercars come to Townsville is a big boost for the city and North Queensland.

But plenty of heavy decision-making and work stands between now and the start of racing on August 29.

Mr Seamer said event formats, crowd inclusion and support categories for each event would be determined closer to the event date due to the changing nature of COVID-19 restrictions.

Fingers are now crossed that the Supercars and government bodies can work together to give Townsville every chance of getting motorsport fans through the gate.

The Townsville 400, which was first held at Reid Park in 2009, generated an estimated $36 million for the local economy and more than 120,000 visitor nights.

It’s the type of windfall Townsville needs amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but it will be lost if spectators are unable to watch trackside.

And there is no doubting the product as a whole will be diminished should it only be beamed to a TV audience.

No amount of TV coverage can even come close to the rush of seeing firsthand the V8s and their support categories hurtling down the Reid Park street circuit.

“Our No.1 priority is getting to Townsville and I’m sure as restrictions start to ease we’ll be able to introduce people in some way, shape or form closer to the end of August,” Mr Seamer said.

Even if it’s just local spectators allowed through the gates, it would mean the world to thousands of motorsport fans both young and old.