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S5000 to join Merlin Darwin Triple Crown in 2022
The S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship will make their racing debut in the Top End in 2022, joining the program for the Merlin Darwin Triple Crown next June.
The most eagerly anticipated round of the Repco Supercars Championship has been confirmed for 17-19 June 2022, and the newly released program for the Merlin Darwin Triple Crown promises another three days of non-stop motorsports action.
As well as the Supercars, the event will include the Australian Superbikes, the S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship and Combined Sedans, plus two nights of Nitro Up North featuring the mind-blowing finals of the Australian Top Fuel Championship.
Darwin is the only round that will feature these souped-up rides, which are the fastest drag cars around. The Top Australian Doorslammers and Sportsman Bracket will also feature in Nitro Up North, which will take place on Friday and Saturday night under lights.
An incredible Black Friday sale, which starts tomorrow at 7.30am and runs until midnight on 29 November, offers three days of action for the price of one – that’s just $89 for a 3-Day Hot Pass.
In a first for the event and the sport, the 2022 Merlin Darwin Triple Crown becomes the official Indigenous Round of the Supercars championship, and will celebrate the Larrakia land on which the event takes place.
Organisers will work with Traditional Owners to ensure a Larrakia flavour for the event, and the official Indigenous Round artwork, designed by Larrakia artist Trent Lee, was unveiled at the 2021 Merlin Darwin Triple Crown.
The Merlin Darwin Triple Crown is delivered by the Northern Territory Government through the Northern Territory Major Events Company (NTMEC). NTMEC CEO Tim Watsford said after a bumper event in 2021, 2022 is looking just as exciting.
“The Merlin Darwin Triple Crown is always a favourite with motorsports fans, and thousands of people flock to Hidden Valley Raceway each year to soak up three days of action and experience everything the Top End has to offer under our clear blue skies,” he said.
“This event is a standout of the Championship for the experience spectators get, and will be even more unique this year as the official Indigenous Round. In another first, we’ve also got two nights of high-octane Nitro Up North action!”
Australian Racing Group CEO Matt Braid said S5000s Darwin debut would form an important part of Australia’s top open-wheel calendar next year.
“The Merlin Darwin Triple Crown is one of the most popular events in the sport and the perfect place to bring Australia’s premier open wheel category in 2022,” he said.
“There really will be something for everyone with our open-wheelers joining the best ‘tin-tops’, bikes and drag racing cars in the country.
“Hidden Valley’s 1.1 kilometre-long front straight is the perfect place for our S5000s to stretch their legs and we’re certain they will put on a show for the passionate Northern Territory Motorsport fans who always support the event in their thousands.
“It’s significant for Australia’s most prestigious open-wheel award to join such an incredible array of categories and such a large event, and we can’t wait to race in the Territory next year.”