Supercars teams embracing NAIDOC week in Townsville

The majority of the Repco Supercars Championship grid will retain their indigenous liveries for this weekend’s NTI Townsville 500.

NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week is celebrated annually on the first week of July in recognition of the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The full field of Gen3 Supercars sported unique indigenous artwork in their liveries at June’s betr Darwin Triple Crown, which was celebrated as Supercars’ Indigenous Round for the second consecutive year.

Of the 25 cars hitting the track from Friday in Townsville, 17 of them will retain their indigenous liveries.

The full team line ups of Dick Johnson Racing, Walkinshaw Andretti United, Grove Racing, Erebus Motorsport, Team 18, Brad Jones Racing, and Matt Stone Racing will have unchanged looks from Darwin.

DJR’s Shell V-Power Racing livery designed by Zoe Raymond was voted the fans’ favourite indigenous livery, receiving nearly half of the 33,000 votes in a Supercars.com poll.

Along with the 16 cars named above, Tickford Racing’s James Courtney will also carry over his indigenous livery on the Snowy River Caravans Ford Mustang.

Courtney’s livery was the first indigenous livery to be revealed ahead of Darwin, featuring a striking change from its usual teal to a predominantly orange design.

Carins-based artist Jedess Hudson designed all four of Tickford’s indigenous liveries that appeared at Darwin, and will attend the NTI Townsville 500 as a guest of the team.

The NTI Townsville 500 takes place July 7-9 and serves as the sixth event on the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship calendar.

Coverage of the event that hosts Races 16 and 17 of the 2023 campaign can be found on Seven and Foxtel, with live streaming on 7plus and Kayo.

Tickets to North Queensland’s largest sporting event – which includes a raft of off-track entertainment headlined by a Ministry of Sound concert on Saturday night – can be purchased via Supercars.com and Ticketek.