Castrol, as the naming rights sponsor of the Townsville 400 Supercars event in 2015, approached BAM for ideas on how to launch race week.

In typical BAM Media style, the limits were pushed in what was possible from a cost point of view and maximum impact. The final decision was made – a jump truck leapfrogging the Supercars Championship leader’s car!

This was a perfect opportunity for Castrol to bring three key elements together – Matt Mingay, Mark Winterbottom and of course the Townsville event itself.

Both Mingay and Winterbottom were sponsored by Castrol. Coincidentally Mingay, who owns his own jump truck was a hometown hero, growing up in Townsville. Winterbottom was leading the Supercars Championship.

The stakes and risks of this media activity couldn’t have been any higher. If Mingay had an accident or the Supercars Championship leader’s car was damaged before the event even got underway, it would have put this media activity in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. To add further pressure, the media activity had to take place before the track was shut Thursday night.

BAM worked with Supercars to execute the track closure element and provide all insurances and risk assessments for the activity. As the track was closed from public access, the logistics forced every-day Townsville residents to drive through the pitlane.

Mingay, fresh from revving up his truck for warm-up, was allocated only three practice jumps before the real deal. A committee led by BAM decided where to place the Supercar (distance from the jump ramp), for the final and most important jump.

A small group of assistants held up the massive 25m ‘Welcome to the Castrol EDGE Townsville 400’ paper banner with Mingay bursting through the banner and, thankfully, clearing the Supercar.

A strong field of 50 media personnel were on the pitlane wall, grabbing their own photos of the activity with endless Castrol branding shots captured by the restricted photographers on the main straight.

The media activity resulted in print and online media coverage, on top of evening broadcasts on all key free-to-air and pay TV stations. This media activity ran runner-up (behind a campaign that launched a Supercar team on a Navy boat!) and got a special mention during the Media Awards later that year.