Supercars teams pitch in to battle virus pandemic
More Supercars teams have joined the fight against coronavirus after leading outfit Erebus Motorsport began distributing medical equipment they had developed to hospitals nationally on Tuesday.
No.1 Supercars team Triple Eight have become the latest to offer their assistance, working with the Queensland government on a new ventilation system to be used in hospitals.
'I KNEW THEN': Daniel Ricciardo's 'bombshell' Australian GP claim
'LEFT AT 3AM': Stunning new details in Australian Grand Prix farce
STAY INSIDE: Lewis Hamilton blasts 'selfish and irresponsible' act amid crisis
After consultation with Supercars medical delegate Carl Le, Erebus Motorsport revealed last week they would manufacture and supply full face masks and a transparent box that fits over a patient's head to protect health care workers .
The team confirmed on Tuesday that they had started sending the medical supplies to a number of hospitals nation-wide.
And Supercars rivals Team CoolDrive will help distribute the supplies after answering Erebus' call for other teams to help the cause.
The Team CoolDrive operation has an automotive parts distribution business.
"I sent out an email to Supercars and all its team owners last week and we really appreciate the response of people wanting to jump on board and help where they can," Erebus Motorsport CEO Barry Ryan said.
"We want to make sure we are in a better position than overseas, so we are doing all we can to ensure we are ready if and when the worst hits."
Triple Eight also join in coronavirus manufacturing effort
Meanwhile, Triple Eight said they had been working on a ventilator prototype since returning from this month's Melbourne 400 round held in conjunction with the Australian Grand Prix that was cut short by coronavirus health concerns.
"As soon as we got back from the grand prix, (team boss) Roland (Dane) had the idea to re-purpose our resources in design and manufacture, so straightaway he wanted us to start looking into ventilators," said Triple Eight team manager Mark Dutton.
"The world is screaming out for them, so we started just doing some initial research the week after the grand prix and then started the design work on Friday (the next week).
"By Monday we had a working prototype."
Supercars CEO Sean Seamer has pencilled in a June return at Winton after calling off racing following the Melbourne 400 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
