The Repco Supercars Championship circus is making the trek up the west coast from Perth to Darwin, with the truck drivers being the unsung heroes transporting all the required equipment through some of Australia’s remote land.
PremiAir Racing’s Mick Shortus has detailed the trip from the team’s base on the Gold Coast to Perth, which amounted to 5000km before picking up and travelling to Darwin for the betr Triple Crown before returning back to headquarters after a road trip totalling 14,000km.
“There is a lot of maintenance and preparation involved in a trip like this,” Shortus said.
“Before we left the Gold Coast we made sure everything was secure, being a big trip, and on some very rough roads.
“We carry extra spares on board also – we normally wouldn’t carry these because we would always be pretty close to a tyre shop, but out here you could be at least a couple of hours away from help, so it’s important to be prepared.
“We make sure we have lots of spares as well, including spare airbags which are supplied by BPW Transpec, just in case we get stuck on the side of the road.”
Execution is important for the road trip due to the tight turnaround as teams must be parked up at Hidden Valley by Sunday.
“We clean the trailers inside and out, make sure they are all tidy and ready to go, the mechanics service the race cars, and then we load it all up to go,” Shortus explained.
“It is a lot easier than what we looked at for the transition from Taupo to Tassie where you are working with a container and having to unload and then restock the truck, it was a bit of mayhem to be honest! I count myself lucky to have missed the unload of the container, as I was on holiday!” he laughs.
“I came back and the boys had done a great job of emptying the container, and then we pulled everything, every spare, every nut and bolt that had gone into the container, it all had to come out and then be restocked back into the truck. A really big job.
“By comparison to that and to the initial prep to leave the Goldy for this trip, packing up in Perth and heading to Darwin is much more streamlined. You are talking about a service, a clean, a check over and make sure everything is ready to go, perhaps we change a front bar or two – we take some extra bars of course – and off we go.”
Detailing his route, Shortus will also have his wife and Hidden Valley Circuit Medic Dr Karyn Lun for the ride as well.
“There won’t be any time for sightseeing, we have to be parked up by four o’clock on the Sunday afternoon at the track, so we are on a tight four-day schedule of driving, washing the truck and parking up, and be ready for the Truck Parade. But it will be good to have her company along the way,” Shortus explained.
“First we are away and off to Payne’s Find, which is four and a half hours out of Perth. Then we are on to Capricorns, which is six hours from there, or 12 hours from Perth.
“After that we go to the Roebuck Truck Stop which is just outside of Broome; that will be our second stop, before heading on to Doon Doon, a truck stop south of Kununurra.
“From there, the next stop is Adelaide River, or we might go straight to Darwin from Doon Doon. The Adelaide River is a lovely area outside of town, offering an excellent spot for a meal. So, we will see how we go.
“We will head into town in Darwin in the morning on Sunday and then spend the day washing the trucks.”
Meanwhile, Scott Taylor will complete a similar trip in his road-train carrying not just his own team’s entries, but Dick Johnson Racing’s merchandise container among other items integral to running a Supercars event.