December 2022
After three years of eager anticipation, we can categorically and comprehensively answer the question: Is Beat the Blue an incredible event? with a resounding yes!
Organiser in chief, Sgt Steven Planinic, and his dedicated crew of volunteers, have been keeping the flame burning this entire time, and finally got to unleash on a cold night at the end of August.
More than 11,000 people came out to Sydney Motorsport Park for a night of family fun, food, and fast cars. There was a definite sense of festivity in the air, and a massive amount of foot traffic around the Show’n’Shine section, where a huge array of (very shiny) vehicles showed off all their best angles, complementing the historical police vehicles lined up for all to see.
And then to the main event! Ninety-nine members of the public signed up to try their best on a controlled course, and again, a wide range of vehicles and talents were put to the test, battling it out against members of the Highway Patrol. There was a lot of skill on display, and (prejudiced as we are), we have to say that the majority of that skill resided with Highway Patrol! The official tally was Police 82, Community 17.
Despite the comprehensive HWP win, nobody drove off angry, and the biggest winners of all, of course, were our Police Legatees, with more than $30,000 raised from entry fees and raffles, and another $6,000 raised from merch sales and donations. Can’t wait to do it all again next year!
