Supercars From The Grandstand
Only 1000 eager fans were allowed into the grandstand at Sydney Motorsport Park but Peter Bink was one of them.
The grizzled veteran, who once starred in speedway and still track races for fun, says the view was great and the racing was even better.
“The racing was unreal, with all the different winners,” Bink tells Race News.
“You never knew who was going to win until the last 10 laps. In the last race it was the last two laps.”
Bink admits to some bias on his reporting from the main-straight seat, as he manages a CoolDrive Auto Parts store at Raymond Terrace in NSW, but believes he is speaking for many of the fans in the stand.
“I would say it was the diehard fans,” he says.
“It was surreal. There was just one coffee van and one food van. It was like a ghost town.
“You didn’t think you were at a race meeting. The noise and the vibe were missing.”
Bink also reports a change in the way the fans are dressing, with less of the old red-versus-blue from the Holden-versus-Ford days.
“It’s changed a lot. There were still a lot of red jackets on, but they were for DJR Penske. Most of the supporters were there for either DJR or Triple Eight.
“I admit I was the only one in the stands wearing a CoolDrive shirt. But I was really happy that BJR did really well, and Macauley Jones was a star.”
Bink says he drove two hours from Raymond Terrace to Sydney, stayed in Blacktown, and was in the stands on both days.
“I just missed the racing, that’s why I went. I didn’t know anyone else in the grandstand.
“It was good. Every second row was empty and there were three seats between people.”
His grandstand seat was a change for the long-term Supercars fan, but better than he expected.
“Normally when I go to the races I’m in the pits, not the grandstand, so it was a different view. And the view was better than I thought.
“You can see half the track. They only had one big screen, which was the only disadvantage. And I couldn’t hear the Foxtel commentary when the cars were coming past.”
He was impressed by the show, including the Saturday night under lights, and the racing that came with the limited two-tyre allocation of Dunlop racing rubber.
“I enjoyed the two-tyre rule,” says Bink.
“The DJR and Triple Eight dominance gets boring after a while. You never really knew who was going to win.
“I was cheering for the CoolDrive car and also Kelly Racing. I think they did really well. There was some really good racing.
“It was good because the racing was all over by 8.30 on Saturday, so we could go back to the hotel and have a feed.
“It was a relaxed atmosphere. The whole weekend.”
So, a thumbs-up from Bink and the grandstand?
“Yes, I’d do it again. For sure. It was good racing, it was exciting, and you didn’t always know who was going to win.”
