The annual Ostojic Group Chariots of Thunder Sprintcar Series hit a record attendance this August with 20,465 racing fans flocking to Northline Speedway in Darwin.
Work completed by independent research company, IER has shown that the surge in attendance has delivered some outstanding results for the local community. Although the event remains the pride and joy of locals, over 56% of the attendees were linked to interstate addresses and intern generated over 39,400 bed nights throughout the Northern Territory.
A target for the organising team this year was to engage the next generation of racing fans and close the gender gap. Vice President, Jacalin Ekins said “It’s important we continue to nurture future racing fans and broaden our audience and truly make Speedway a sport for everyone.” “Based off last year’s data we set ourselves some aggressive targets and were overwhelmed by the success.” This year’s event increased the 18-34 attendee group by 9.2% and drove balance with a 60:40 gender ratio (compared to the 67:32 achieved in 2021.)
The team at Northline Speedway continue to a big picture approach to their events and understand the role events play in supporting the local economy. IER’s report on Chariots of Thunder concluded that the event generated an economic stimulus of $11.4 million for the Northern Territory, a 26% increased on 2021’s $9 million.
Jacalin spoke to the behind the scenes planning already underway, “Each year we reflect and challenge ourselves to put on a great event and push the boundaries to take the sport into the future. The small team we have are working on refreshed approach to the sport program and will be making announcements before the end of the year.”
Tickets for Chariots of Thunder 2023 are available now with a 15% discount available when using the discount code CHARIOTS2023. Discount code ends 2nd December 2022.
Chariots of Thunder Sprintcar Series Tickets, Fri 18/08/2023 at 4:30 pm | Eventbrite
Don’t miss out on one of Australia’s biggest Sprintcar race, 18-19 and 25-16 August 2023.