How Supercars teams planned for sea voyage to Taupō

All eyes are now on New Zealand as Supercars teams waved goodbye to their cars and equipment.

Supercars teams are firmly in preparation mode for the upcoming ITM Taupō Super 440, with sea freight now en route to New Zealand.

In 2025, teams are utilising sea freight to transport their cars and equipment to New Zealand, which is a move away from air freight.

The shift has 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.

"This year, we’re using sea freight for the first time, which is a change from our usual air freight system,” Team 18 Team Manager Mitch Croke explained.

"Previously, we packed two air freight containers, with the cars stacked inside a plane. Now, we have one 40-foot sea freight container, which needs to fit all of our essential equipment.

“In addition to our main container, we also have access to a communal container shared between three teams, where we store additional items like rims, spare engines, and spare transaxles.

"Inside our main container, we’ve packed both of our race cars along with everything we’d typically take from the transporter straight into the container.”

Teams faced a quick turnaround from Melbourne to New Zealand, with teams servicing cars immediately after they arrived back to the paddock after Sunday’s race.

Pack-up didn’t commence until late Sunday night, and despite the wet conditions that led to the abandonment of the final race of the weekend, teams still had to clean and prepare cars and equipment.

Crucially, all cars and equipment must be cleaned to meet strict New Zealand biosecurity regulations.

“After the AGP on Sunday, we couldn’t start packing our trucks until 8:30pm,” Croke explained.

"During that time, we got a head start on our New Zealand prep by swapping bodywork, changing drop gears, and giving everything a deep clean.

"Even though Sunday’s race was essentially a non-event for us, the cars still got wet and dirty, so making sure everything was spotless before packing was a major task.

“Once the trucks were packed on Sunday night, we brought all our equipment back to the workshop, unloaded everything, and replenished the spares we used over the weekend. We also re-stickered the cars before moving onto the container pack.”

After New Zealand, there is a quick turnaround for teams to service cars and equipment before setting off for Round 4 in Tasmania on May 9-11.

As such, teams have planned Melbourne, New Zealand and Tasmania as a triple-header of sorts when it comes to planning, logistics and servicing.

“Our mechanical preparation for Taupo actually began before the AGP, given the tight turnaround between events,” Croke said.

"We planned our rotating components like engines and transaxles in advance, ensuring they’d cycle efficiently through the rest of the season.

“A key difference this year has been the stricter freight and quarantine regulations. Our container pack lists and quarantine documentation had to be submitted weeks ago to the sea freight company.

"When packing, we had to carefully check off each item, ensuring we only took what was necessary and that everything was meticulously cleaned to meet quarantine standards.

“Once our container arrives in New Zealand, Supercars officials, along with border and quarantine staff, will unload and inspect everything before we arrive. Then, when we get to the track on Thursday, we’ll begin our usual unpack and set-up process."

Track action at the ITM Taupō Super 440 will commence on April 11, with three championship races to be held across the event. Tickets for the event are on sale now.