Like many recreational and entertainment venues, Winton suffered a downturn in business during 2020, but has bounced back strongly in 2021.
“We were severely impacted in 2020; in particular, the extended Melbourne lockdown prevented us from hosting any major events for several months, which resulted in a significant decline in local tourism,” Lewis-Williams said.
“Fortunately, the recovery has been strong so far and we’re looking forward to continuing the momentum with the Supercars event.
“Supercars is one of the biggest events in north-east Victoria each year and after a hiatus in 2020, we’re expecting fans to travel from far and wide to soak up the trackside experience.”
While COVID-19-safe processes have been implemented for the SuperSprint, Lewis-Williams said the priority had been ensuring fans could enjoy as normal an event as possible.
“There have been some challenges in preparing for this year’s Supercars race meeting, to deliver a COVID-safe event, but we’ve been working together with Supercars to ensure everything is as close to normal as it can be,” he said.
“2019 was the most successful Supercars event at Winton for many years, so we’re implementing what we learned from that meeting.
“We’re bringing back popular features, such as the shuttle bus, trade alley and food court, and there will be activities for the kids as well.
“We’ve concentrated on looking after our camping patrons and delivering an enjoyable product for all our spectators, from general admission through to our Relaxed Corporate and Supercars Paddock Club guests.”
The Supercars event throws Winton into the limelight, and Lewis-Williams said the high demands of hosting Australia’s top-level motorsport category has flow-on benefits for other events and series.
“We believe managing a Supercars-level event, utilising our normal team of staff, enhances our promotion and management skills for all our other race meetings,” Lewis-Williams said.
“We’ve made some upgrades to the track, especially the kerbs at turns three and four, and we have some other minor upgrades to the track edges when our schedule allows.
“We also have some more major plans in the works, which we’re currently formalising and look forward to publicising in the near future.”
Other events Winton will host in 2021 include the AMRS (Australian Motor Racing Series), two rounds of the Australian Super Truck Nationals, the Historic Festival of Speed and a couple of traditional endurance races – the Winton 300 and the HQ Holden 4 Hour.
Winton Raceway also celebrates its 60th anniversary in November.
For Supercars fans though, Lewis-Williams has one final message:
“After missing out on Supercars at Winton last year, I really hope everyone enjoys seeing them back on the track in 2021.”
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