Supercar driver Nick Percat has launched a widespread diatribe over the air on the Adelaide 500 race, calling critics of the event’s return “crazy” and “angry”.
Key points:
- More than half of the Adelaide 500 track will have to be resurfaced
- Adelaide Councilor Alex Hyde has expressed concern about the business impact of the disruptions
- Holden driver Nick Percat said he was “infuriated” by the allegations
Appearing on ABC Radio Adelaide this morning after it was revealed yesterday that half of the track needed repaving, Percat made an exception to the claims about the level of traffic disruption that these works would cause.
“Honestly, you’re crazy. I’m angry,” Percat said.
“This event injects $ 45 million into the economy and worries you are missing out on a weekend of people going shopping.
“All the other countries, if you look at motorsport, are scoring goals, the biggest audience attendance.
“Then we have Adelaide still pulling back. It’s outrageous, honestly.”
The next Adelaide 500 will be held in December after the new SA government overturned the decision to eliminate the event.
In his comments, Percat, who is a South Australian, responded in part to Adelaide City Councilor Alex Hyde, who said it would take five months for a “full set-up and packaging” of the grandstand. other infrastructure in Victoria. Park, which currently houses a COVID test station.
“Most of that [work] it will be in the park, but there will be many other works around, “said the councilor.
“On balance, we are happy to see the race come back and that means filling hotel rooms and filling restaurants.
“[But] I am very concerned about the effect this will have on accessibility to the city and therefore the impact on this retail trade before Christmas, because obviously this has always been done in March. “
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to search, up and down arrows for volume. Listening time: 3 minutes 3 seconds 3 m 3 s Alex Hyde and Nick Percat spoke with David Bevan of ABC Radio Adelaide. Download 1.4 MB
But Percat – who began by saying “I have to cut you” – insisted that the economic benefits of the event outweighed the disadvantages.
“It’s not five months of roadblocks: they’re starting to work there for five months because the event hasn’t been there for a few years,” the Holden driver said.
“Then they have to resurface some roads, which happens every day because the roads are deteriorating, the racing circuits are deteriorating.
“You’ve had a tent set up there for two years and you can’t drive through that park.
“You just miss the big picture of putting South Australia on the map, again.”
While some listeners disagreed with Percat’s criticisms, others endorsed them, with a tweet that the driver’s “passion for air” was “refreshing” to hear.