This year’s Merlin Darwin Triple Crown, which was the first official Indigenous Round of the Repco Supercars Championship, was one of the most successful yet, independent research has shown.

The event, which took place from 17-19 June 2022, had a total of 40,448 supercars fans, with almost half of those attendees visitors to the Top End, creating a significant economic benefit for the Northern Territory.

Research found the event generated a massive economic contribution of $28.4 million, of which $21.3 million (75 per cent) was new money, surpassing last year’s event, which generated $23 million, of which $17 million was new money.

Combined, it came to a total of 72,869 visitor nights, and more than half (59.5 per cent) of attendees said they were very likely to return to the event again next year.

More than 95.7 per cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed the Northern Territory Government should continue to invest in events such as the Merlin Darwin Triple Crown.

In addition, 93.8 per cent of attendees felt the event provided a positive impact on the Darwin community, and 87.3 per cent said their experience in Darwin while attending the event made them more likely to want to visit the Northern Territory again.

NTMEC head of event operations Coryn Huddy said the first Supercars Indigenous Round was a huge success.

“It was great to deliver this fan-favourite event with exciting new elements that celebrated Australia’s Indigenous culture, and the Larrakia land on which the Triple Crown takes place,” Huddy said.

“With such a high number of attendees from interstate, and excellent attendee satisfaction results, it’s clear the event is delivering both for the Territory economy and for the fans. We’re constantly looking for ways to offer even more to attendees, and look forward to delivering another incredible event next year.”

The Merlin Darwin Triple Crown is delivered by Northern Territory Major Events Company (NTMEC) on behalf of the Northern Territory Government.

Dates for the 2023 event will be announced later this year.