The 2001 Spring Racing Carnival delivered a record economic impact of approximately $172.4-million ($331.5-million Australian) to the state of Victoria, which was shaken by the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the collapse of the major Australian airline Ansett.An independent study released on Thursday by IER Strategic Planning confirmed that the annual five-day carnival is Australia's premier sporting event.

The study showed the threat of international terrorism drove down overseas attendance by 37%, and Ansett's collapse caused a drop of 11% in interstate visitors. Total attendance for the carnival was 468,242, second only to last year's record 495,815 when dry skies greeted fans on Melbourne Cup (Aus-G1) day.

Victorian country racing posted a 14% rise in attendance, attributed to visitors from Melbourne.

Racing Victoria chief executive Brian Beattie said that the carnival once again produced good results, despite the aftermath of September 11.

"We delivered on our promise to give people a reason to party," Beattie said.—Delamere Usher