COMMUNITY IMPACT CELEBRATED AT AAAA AWARDS
The Australian Auto Aftermarket Excellence Awards’ Most Innovative Community Impact Program award recognises those in our industry who have made a positive contribution to the community
![](https://www.aftermarket.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/supercheap-community-1-july24-1024x614.jpg)
While mycar Tyre and Auto was recognised as the winner of the Award with its Movember campaign, Supercheap Auto was also a valued nominee.
Judging focused on the submitted project’s ability to make a positive difference to the lives of individuals and communities through provision of access to resources or opportunities; improved awareness or education of the community about important issues/encouragement of action on these issues; or improved health or quality of life for both individuals and/or specific communities.
Supercheap Auto – Racing Together
Supercheap Auto has been a proud major partner of the Racing Together program since its inception, supplying financial sponsorship and products for the students to go racing.
The Racing Together project is designed to identify and then assist suitable candidates from a cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youths of both genders, in the 12 to 16 years age group, and provide them with an opportunity to pursue a career in motorsport, as either a driver or a member of a race team.
During 2023, Supercheap Auto’s commitment to supporting First Nations participation in the automotive and motorsport industries stepped up with the Racing Together students given the opportunity to design the 2023 Darwin Triple Crown Supercars livery.
The students were invited to the Triple Eight Race Engineering workshop, to participate in the exercise under the guidance of renowned motorsport livery designer, Peter Hughes.
The resulting artwork incorporated the student’s heritage, history and traditions of the traditional custodians of the land the team would race on, combining their passion for racing with the love of their heritage.
The final livery design pulled the history of the land from the ground and displayed a beautiful story on the car through the rivers, pathways, and animal tracks. It showed land animals, sea life, and tribes all coming together and uniting as one in the meeting place on the roof, marked by the Racing Together logo.
![](https://www.aftermarket.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/supercheap-community-2-july24-1024x504.jpg)
To pay homage to the ancestors and the legacy left behind, the king brown snake, sea eagle, and crocodile were featured as the totems of the Larrakia people. The Larrakia people are the traditional custodians of the Darwin region, and their mission is to care for their land, sea, culture, and people.
On the bonnet was a secondary meeting place with men and women representing the team members of Racing Together, family, friends, tribes, and people, including the motorsport community. This mission of coming together is to unite with the land and wildlife at the meeting place on the roof with teamwork, love, mutual respect, and friendship.
In addition to Racing Together students designing the livery, Supercheap Auto also hosted one lucky First Nations student, Ayesha, in Darwin to be the race team apprentice.
Aged just 20, Ayesha worked with the Supercheap Auto wildcard race team during the Darwin Supercars event, gaining valuable experience and living her passion to work in motorsport.
It was this once in a lifetime experience that reassured Ayesha of her passion for automotive, resulting in full time employment at Triple Eight Race Engineering post-event.
At the same time, Brayden – one of the students who designed the livery – also works at Triple Eight as a fabricator and played a vital role in the chassis build before the Chev Camaro came to life as a Supercar.
Supercheap Auto explains there has not been an indigenous race car driver in Australia compete at the highest level and indigenous team personnel representation has been minimal to date.
However, it states programs like Racing Together are having a positive effect in changing this, ensuring our First Nations people have equal opportunity to pursue a career in the automotive and/or motorsport sector.
Supercheap Auto says its commitment to this initiative is long standing, with financial donations allowing Racing Together to open a second facility in Townsville, joining the home-base located in South East Queensland.
Supercheap Auto states its partnership with Racing Together ensures the automotive sector is endorsed as a pathway for our First Nations students to participate in employment, while delivering long-life positive difference to the students and their communities.
For more from Supercheap Auto, visit www.supercheapauto.com.au