Todd Hazelwood will run a unique Indigenous livery that celebrates NAIDOC Week while paying tribute to three generations of Blanchards at this weekend’s Darwin Triple Crown.

National NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week  takes place from Sunday July 2 through July 9, with the second weekend the date of the NTI Townsville 500, following this weekend’s official Indigenous Round, the Darwin Triple Crown.

The Blanchard Racing Team #3 Ford Mustang has been revealed with its CoolDrive Indigenous paintwork – the only car of the 25 Supercars field that has its blue base colour painted, not wrapped – ahead of Darwin that will pay tribute to Tim Blanchard, his father John and late grandfather, CoolDrive founder John Blanchard Senior.

Acclaimed Djerait artist Melissa Yaram Tipo created the artwork for the team for the second year running and built on the previous work for this weekend’s race.

Tipo chose three saltwater crocodiles to represent the three generations of the family-owned and run team. Illustrating the passing of knowledge between successive generations, they also symbolise strength, power and masculinity.

Appropriately, the art also reflects this year’s NAIDOC Week theme, ‘For our Elders’, with the dots around the crocodile motifs representing generations of those who’ve come before, and who look over and guide the community.

Tipo’s family goes back several generations in the Darwin and Litchfield areas, with Melissa working for the CSIRO’s Young Indigenous Women’s STEM Academy, which delivers a program for women seeking opportunities in a STEM career.

Tim Blanchard was the first person to drive a Gen3 when the #3 CoolDrive Mustang was wheeled out for its inaugural test – the first for any of the Gen3 Supercars field – at Winton in February.

He may well share driving duties in the #3 Ford Mustang with Hazelwood for this year’s Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 enduros, with the team yet to make a decision on its long-distance pairing.