SUPERCARS are well advanced in planning the series’ return to competition later this month, with a tight on-track program and more access for viewers planned for the spectator-free event at Sydney Motorsport Park.

WORDS: Richard Craill

A UNIQUE made-for-TV format and making the most of their opportunities will be key for Supercars’ TV production when they return to racing in Sydney later this month.

Speaking to NTI Inside the Eseries, Supercars General Manager of TV and Content Nathan Prendergast has outlined key areas that his team are planning to make the most of when it comes to the support category-free event.

The series visited the Western Sydney venue earlier this week to assess options for camera placement, thanks to the installation of the new lighting towers at the circuit which may require existing camera positions to be modified.

Planning the content that makes up the actual broadcast is also forefront of their minds, with at least the first round to have a potentially different look and feel compared to previous events.

“Essentially the schedule, which is to be finalised, is made for TV and being as such we’ve had to ask the teams to reduce the gaps between sessions,” Prendergast told NTI Inside the ESeries.

“While they traditionally have had a larger gap, which might have had two or three support races, you can’t do that: we can’t have massive gaps to fill, so the teams have agreed and I’m sure the formats and that will be posted shortly.

“It’s going to be quite a condensed little package, but that said it’s still six hours of Television, so we are currently working on what we fill it with.”

Taking advantage of a more available circuit is one area the series has targeted for utilisation.

“One of the beauties is that we’ve got all this track time.. so we are going to try and utilise having access to the race track between Supercars sessions to try and tell different stories – and maybe get some of our talent to drive different things to talk about how you overtake, or get out at a corner and walk through an apex,” he explained.

“Plus we’ve got a heap of other content we’ve got to get away, so there a lot of planning on what we’re going to put into the broadcast, to make sure the people tuning in are entertained.”

SIM RACING IDEAS CONVERTING TO REAL RACING

Prendergast, who has helmed Supercars in-house Media unit to multiple Logie awards for their Bathurst 1000 coverage, also elaborated on key learnings taken from the successful Supercars Eseries that concludes next week.  

He explained the instant access afforded by the virtual racing format was something they were keen to further integrate into the real-world race broadcasts.

“The instant connectivity.. (the) race finishes, talk to the guys on discord. It’s one of the things I want to adopt more into the main broadcast. We’ve already got plans afoot to get more instant and immediate access to drivers in cars as a result of the success. It’s not a new trick, it’s been done in the past and we’ve sort of moved away from it, but I think now we need to start doing that again, talking to the guys more than just after a shootout.

“The ability to talk to them it he car as quick as we can,” he added. “This requires some approvals trough teams and bodies etcetera, but I reckon people are going to be more up for it now because it’s what they’ve been used to for 10 weeks.

“We’ve got to see more faces. Our sport is really challenging, where most other sports, predominantly ball sports, you ride with the person when they’re celebrating that moment.

“Our guys are doing 300 km/h in a race suit and helmet, inside a car with one camera: we need to do more to see these people with their helmets off, either directly out of the car or even when they’re not racing, do more stuff with them.

“It is a reminder, rather than a learning, that we’ve got to see these people.”