Anticipation ramps up as Supercars arrive in Taupō
Full fleet of Supercars arrives at Taupō International Motorsport Park
All 24 race cars and equipment set sail for New Zealand after Grand Prix
Tickets on sale for ITM Taupō Super 440, set for April 11-13
The full fleet of 24 Supercars is arriving at Taupō International Motorsport Park ahead of next weekend's ITM Taupō Super 440.
Like the Supercars competing at the Taupō circuit, the logistics supporting this year’s New Zealand required careful planning and faultless execution.
This year, the field was sea freighted to New Zealand, with the voyage taking place across the Tasman Sea.
The shift required extensive planning and logistics, with two-car teams packing all essential equipment into a single 40-foot container.
The main container includes both race cars, while spare engines, transaxles and wheels are housed in the shared space.
Pack-up didn’t commence until late Sunday night, and all cars and equipment were cleaned to meet strict New Zealand biosecurity regulations.
All told, the 21 containers carried 240 tonnes of equipment worth $40 million. The containers arrived in New Zealand overnight, and were bumped in at the circuit on Thursday.
Supercars Logistics Manager Jason Routley hailed the efforts of logistics partner Sealab, which has linked up with the championship for the next two years.
"We're always proud to race in New Zealand, and it's been a big undertaking to get the cars to Taupo," Routley told Supercars.com.
"We must say well done to the teams for turning around their cars and equipment quickly after the Grand Prix to prepare for the journey.
"It's always exciting when the cars arrive in New Zealand, and we're proud to have worked with Sealab to make this happen.
"Many thanks to Adam Frank and Simonne Taylor, who have worked tirelessly with Supercars teams from an administrative and operational perspective to make this all happen, and are onsite now bumping the cars and equipment in."
The ITM Taupō Super 440 will get underway with practice on Friday April 11. Tickets for the event are on sale now.
