Fans at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park will witness something rarely seen in world motorsport this weekend — international KUMHO FIA TCR World Tour teams building their race cars overnight under lights in the Skidpan at Podium Park, in a dramatic race against time to make Saturday’s grid.
Global freight delays have meant cars originally scheduled to arrive in the paddock on Monday and Tuesday will now land lFriday afternoon. With just hours to prepare, teams will work through the night in full view of fans, who are invited to watch the drama unfold.
The Bend will now adopt the streamlined format used at recent Italian, Portuguese KUMHO FIA TCR World Tour rounds: a single 30-minute qualifying session on Saturday morning, followed by two 13-lap races across the weekend. Originally, teams were due to have multiple practice sessions on Friday before qualifying.
“This is motorsport theatre at its rawest and most passionate,” Marcello Lotti WSC President said. “The commitment of our teams and drivers means fans will get to witness not just the racing, but the extraordinary human effort it takes to put world championship cars on the grid. This is the heart and soul of motorsport — and we will literally build these cars overnight.”
Alistair MacDonald, CEO of Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, said fans are in for something unforgettable.
“This is a race against time, with crews building cars through the night under lights in the Skidpan. Our 3,000 campers and fans alike are welcome to watch the drama unfold. It evokes memories of Bathurst 1983 when Dick Johnson and his team famously rebuilt a car overnight just to make the start line. That same drama and passion will be on show here in South Australia this weekend,” he said.
Once the containers are unloaded, live updates will be provided from the Skidpan throughout the night via official TCR and Shell V-Power Motorsport Park channels, with a video news release made available to media as the action unfolds.
Updates will be in real time as this situation evolves.
Picture: WSC
