On what should have been the quietest day at Sydney Motorsport Park all week, the back of pit lane was thriving with corporates and socialites – all with Red Bull’s giant Jeep Gladiator pumping music to keep the vibes high.
That head-bopping noise filtered down pit lane, but only when all the points-paying action had finished.
The same could be said for Sunday night. Walkinshaw Andretti United and other teams had music blaring as they packed up — but it couldn’t have been quieter during the day.
The back of pit lane can feel flat at Supercars events. It’s something SpeedSeries does well, even if it doesn’t have a bumper crowd to play to.
Supercars is famous for its screaming V8s, but the category cant rely on the race cars alone to bring the noise.
Sydney Motorsport Park could host the Supercars season opener in 2025 but the event in its current guise will need a rev up to get fans along.
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TURN IT UP
One thing Supercars has got right, for the most part, is the driver intro show.
It’s a highlight with the added element of getting Dunlop’s grid kids involved. Those are memories that last forever. The pyrotechnics, smoke show, and dancers add plenty to the spectacle too. Big tick.
But, if there’s one criticism, it’s that it’s too quiet. That was a common theme among those stood on the grid and in the grandstands.
Chaz Mostert likened the scenes to State of Origin, but it lacked the decibels to match the grandeur on display.
A couple of first-timers – non-motorsport fans – who joined me on the grid said they enjoyed the show but admitted it was on the quiet side. They enjoyed the show on the whole, however.
CHANGE THE CHANNEL
Maybe I’m showing my age, but surely Supercars has got to give up on almost exclusively playing rock music.
That Supercars is still playing songs from the late 1970s says a lot. I cannot imagine driver-by-day, DJ-by-night James Golding spinning Highway to Hell on his decks, for example.
The music matters and it didn’t match the energy of the event, the age of the drivers, or even the age of the crowd.
Supercars has a fresh wave of young drivers coming through – and while the fans of old yearn for ACDC and the like, the fan of the future isn’t sound-tracking their TikToks to Eye of the Tiger.
Play something fast-paced, or at least give the drivers a chance to choose their walk-out tune to show their personality. God only knows what David Reynolds would walk out to, but you can guarantee it’d be entertaining.
NO SIDE SHOW?
Time and time again, the biggest attraction outside the racing at the Adelaide 500 is the concert line-up.
Although Supercars doesn’t have the benefit of some serious money from the Middle East, events like LIV Golf prove how valuable side shows are.
Golf, one of the world’s quietest sports, saw space to innovate. They created a “Party Hole” and brought world-famous electronic act Fisher to play. Golf has never been so popular here.
The Sydney SuperNight should be on par with Adelaide, Gold Coast, and Bathurst – and if it’s to be the season-opener next year it’ll have to step up the off-track offerings.
With the Sydney SuperNight potentially moving into summer, potentially necessitating a later race start, get the front straight pumping.
IndyCar’s Iowa Speedway double-header is a good example of what’s possible as far as pre- and post-race entertainment goes.
LIGHT IT UP
Barely any Supercars teams really made an effort to lean into the night element of the weekend.
Tickford made an attempt to light up the undercarriage of its cars but its green LEDs were barely visible. The Mustangs had light-up emblems but they were barely noticeable too.
The inaugural SuperNight was fantastic, ironically, given how dark it was with the piecemeal lighting set-up.
Teams spent a bit of money to make their cars glow but now that the track is lit like a football stadium there’s evidently very little desire to make the cars stand out.
Innovate, maybe? Imagine a reflective chrome car, for example. Bryce Fullwood’s Middy’s Racing Chevrolet Camaro (pictured below) stood out if only for its bright purple headlights.
MOVE IT
The Sydney SuperNight should not be held in the middle of winter. Even for die-hard fans, there’s little joy in sitting outside in the cold.
If, for whatever reason Sydney is not the season opener next year, there’s got to be some thought given to its date on the calendar.
That’s not to say no one attended. Given it’s size, Sydney Motorsport Park can be a bit of a spectator sink and give an illusion that attendance is sparse.
The Saturday crowd was healthy in numbers but definitely fell away on Sunday, prompting some drivers to call for consecutive night races.
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