The #888 Chevrolet Camaro returns to the field this weekend at Hidden Valley with Cooper Murray making his Supercars Championship debut in the wildcard entry.
HeartKids is the only national not-for-profit organisation solely focused on supporting and advocating for all children and adults impacted by childhood-onset heart disease (CoHD), one of the largest causes of infant death in Australia.
Supercheap Auto has been a Major Partner of HeartKids since January 2022, raising more than $500,000 through customer donations in-store and corporate donations.
This week is also ‘Hero for HeartKids’ week at Supercheap Auto, with Saturday, June 15 being Supercheap Auto’s major fundraising day where store team members will dress as superheroes to help raise funds for HeartKids.
The livery on Car #888 is the story of 13-year-old heart kid Lilly, with the support of brother Noah (11), mother Chantelle, and father Derrin from Larrakia Country (modern day Darwin).
It was designed with the support of Darwin-based artist William Hewitt, working collaboratively with Lilly’s family.
The circle patterns represent the community of the Larrakia people, of which Lilly is part of, and the areas that they inhabit and care for.
The pathways that flow out pay tribute to past and present ancestors and their communities, representing Lilly’s connection to her family roots and connection to her culture.
The hand prints of Lilly’s contains palm markings representing her life journey with congenital heart disease, and the circular communities highlighting the support she’s had from mum Chantelle, father Derrin, brother Noah and the broader family.
Lilly’s journey continues with fish and currants deep into the background of the art, signaling fresh life and her connection to land and water.
As Lilly’s story unfolds, the footprints represent taking steps into the future on the land of the Larrakia Country.
Car #888 will be engineered by Wes McDougal, with Murray and Craig Lowndes to pair up for the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 later in the year.
They tested in recent weeks, although Triple Eight has opted to hold off on Red Bull Ampol Racing’s second test day until the “not too distant future,” Team Manager Mark Dutton told Speedcafe.
Murray said of the Supercheap Auto Camaro, “The car looks SUPER!.
“It’s been fantastic to team up with HeartKids and Supercheap Auto to design an amazing Indigenous livery for my Supercars debut.
“I think the Indigenous Round is an amazing initiative that Supercars implement for the Darwin Triple Crown and it’s great to see every team get on board.
“I’m so excited to kick things off in Darwin. Our test day went really well and there were a lot of positives that came out of the day – very few negatives, if any. I now have a lot of motivation and confidence going into the event.
“I always work very hard on my fitness away from the track which will hopefully put me in good stead for the grueling conditions and longer format races in the Top End so I think I will be well prepared for the conditions up there.
“This opportunity is something I’ve looked forward to for a long time and I’m going to take in every single moment of it, from the signing sessions to meeting the fans, all the way down to getting into the car and doing what I do best. It’s going to be an amazing week that will no doubt go too quickly.”
Supercheap Auto Managing Director Benjamin Ward added, “Darwin marks the beginning of our 2024 Wildcard race program and is a significant round on the Supercars calendar.
“We are thrilled to share Lilly and her family’s story through the incredible indigenous artwork that the #888 Camaro will be adorning.
“We’re also proud of our partnership with HeartKids with in-store fundraising initiatives, raising vital funds to support children like Lilly affected by childhood-onset heart disease.
“We thank Lilly and the entire family for allowing us to share their story and we can’t wait to see this car making it super on track.”
Heartkids Australia CEO Marcus Sandmann remarked, “HeartKids rely on generous donations for our work to improve the lives of families and sick kids and continue to advocate for them at all stages of their heart journeys. Supercheap Auto’s involvement has been crucial to that work.
“It’s a testament to our partnership that this year the team at Supercheap Auto has gone above and beyond to create impact for our organisation, our Heart kids and the families who support them.
“We can’t wait to see Lilly’s ‘heartwork’ hit the racetrack.”
PHOTOS: Triple Eight Race Engineering #888 livery
