Supercars great Jamie Whincup believes the carnival atmosphere of this weekend’s Perth night race event is a winner.
Barbagallo Raceway became the second Australian venue in 21 years to host a race under lights on Saturday night following last year’s event at Sydney Motorsports Park and Whincup thinks the format ticks the boxes for drivers and fans alike.
The seven-time driver’s champion likened the atmosphere on the hill the overlooks Barbagallo’s back half of the 2.4km circuit to that of a Big Bash Twenty20 cricket match.
« The cars feel twice as fast in the dark, » Whincup said.
« We enjoy seeing sparks fly over the bonnet and brakes lighting up, flames, the whole lot. It’s great and the hill’s packed, it’s sort of a Big Bash feel or spectacle.
« Perth suits it really well, it’s as close as we get to a high-speed oval in some ways, so this track really suits it. »
The official attendance for the three-day event was 31,160 – up from last year’s 25,333 crowd figure.
Defending champion McLaughlin, who continued a dominant season with his eighth win of the year in Saturday’s race, echoed Whincup’s thoughts.
He hoped the night-time concept could be taken to other circuits where possible.
« It’s a good thing if it works well, » the New Zealander said.
« You can light up the places easily at a smaller track like Perth, it’s kind of like a stadium which is very cool.
« It adds a bit of spice to the event. I’m open to racing more at night but I also understand the complications to light up a circuit. »
http://www.espn.com/v8-supercars/story/_/id/26673799/supercars-stars-back-perth-night-event
