Triple Eight Race Engineering and Supercheap Auto have unveiled a special wildcard livery for the upcoming Darwin Triple Crown, designed by students of the Racing Together program.
Racing Together is designed to help Indigenous youths aged 12 and above to get an insight into motor racing and potentially pursue a career in the sport. The program launched in late 2020 by motorsport heavyweights Garry and Monique Connelly to address the nearly non-existent levels of participation by Indigenous youth in motorsport.
Supercheap Auto have been proud partners of Racing Together since its inception and supply tools for their students to go racing, and most recently supported the program’s expansion in Townsville by fitting out their new workshop.
The program’s success has also resulted in full-time employment opportunities in the automotive and motorsport sectors for its members, including students who have taken on roles at both Triple Eight Race Engineering and Supercheap Auto.
Students of the Racing Together program were invited to design the Indigenous-themed livery of the Supercheap Auto wildcard, with the guidance of renowned motorsport livery designer, Peter Hughes.
The artwork incorporates the student’s heritage and the history and traditions of the traditional custodians of the land the team will race on, combining their passion for racing along with the love of their heritage. A full story of the artwork written by the students can be found at the end of this media release.
The #888 Supercheap Auto wildcard will be piloted by Zane Goddard, who makes his long-awaited return to the Supercars Championship as a solo driver the first time since 2021. Following his wildcard entry in Darwin, Goddard will team up with three-time Supercars Champion, Craig Lowndes for the enduro season, comprising two events: Sandown 500 and the Bathurst 1000.
The team’s wildcard entry will see former Triple Eight race-winning engineer, Wes McDougal return to the helm as race engineer for the #888 Chevrolet Camaro. McDougal was race engineer to seven-time Supercars Champion, Jamie Whincup in his final full-time season of Supercars in 2021.
On-track action from the Darwin Triple Crown will commence on Friday, 16 June.
Zane Goddard – Driver Car #888
“The livery looks fantastic. The students at Racing Together did a brilliant job with the artwork. It was amazing for Supercheap Auto to allow them to have some flexibility in the design, allowing them to incorporate some cool colors and elements into the artwork. You can tell there’s a lot of heart in this livery, so hopefully I can get a good result for them and make them proud of what they’ve achieved.
“I’m really looking forward to finally getting to Darwin. It’s a very smooth track with not a lot of bumps and has a very nice flow. When you put a good lap together up there, it’s quite a nice feeling. The main straight is obviously very long and makes up a huge section of the track, so if we can be strong in that area, it will definitely help.
“With a mix of super soft tyres, a pretty good track surface and some hot conditions, fingers crossed everything falls into place with us. It’s a new car for everyone, and some people stand out at some tracks in particular, so fingers cross we have a good showing up there.”
Gary Connelly – AM, Chair and Director, Racing Together Motorsport
“Racing Together is proud to be associated with Supercheap Auto’s wildcard entry in the Indigenous Supercars round.
“Our team members embraced the task with enthusiasm, creativity, and commitment to their respective heritages. The final design is outstanding and a stunning piece of art. The livery design truly reflects the culture and totems of the Larrakia people, the traditional custodians of the Darwin region.
“We wish Zane Goddard and Supercheap Auto the best for a successful event.
The story behind the Supercheap Auto wildcard Darwin livery, written by the students of Racing Together:
Having the Racing Together team come together alongside Supercheap Auto and Triple Eight to create this wildcard livery design was a great way to incorporate the team members’ heritage, history, and traditions of the traditional custodians of the land it will be racing on. It was also about combining our passion for racing with the love of our proud heritage within the Indigenous artwork.
In a way, the livery pulls the history of the land from the ground and displays a beautiful story on the car through the rivers, pathways, and animal tracks. It shows land animals, sea life, and tribes all coming together and uniting as one in the meeting place on the roof, marked by the Racing Together logo.
To pay homage to the ancestors and the legacy left behind, the king brown snake, sea eagle, and crocodile are featured as the totems of the Larrakia people. The Larrakia people are the traditional custodians of the Darwin region, and their mission is to care for their land, sea, culture, and people.
On the bonnet is a secondary meeting place with men and women representing the team members of Racing Together, family, friends, tribes and people, including the motorsport community. This mission of coming together is to unite with the land and wildlife at the meeting place on the roof with teamwork, love, mutual respect, and friendship.
The artwork we have created is one of a kind, and we thank Supercheap Auto and Triple Eight Race Engineering for allowing us to share our story.
Racing Together Students/Artists
Lincoln Taylor, age 14, Kooma tribe
Karlai Warner, age 16, Kabi Kabi and Wakka Wakka tribes
Dylan Foster, age 17, Gunggari tribe
Ryan Jenyns, age 17, Ngemba and Weilwan tribes
Tayla Warner, age 18, Kabi Kabi and Wakka Wakka tribes
Ayesha Burke, age 20, Dharug tribe
Braedyn Cidoni, age 20, Mununjali tribe
Locky McHardy, age 20, Dharug tribe
Tristian Mitchell-Delaney, age 20, Quandamooka and Gangulu tribes
