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Where should V8 Supercars race overseas?

16th April, 2014
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V8 Supercars racing in the USA (Photo: V8 Supercars)
Expert
16th April, 2014
22
1288 Reads

Gearing up for its annual trip to New Zealand and coming up on the first anniversary of its maiden event in North America, V8 Supercars continues to ponder international expansion.

But the 2014 schedule is the first since 2009 not to feature an event outside Australasia. While New Zealand’s event is well established at the recently redeveloped Pukekohe Park Raceway thanks to a big Kiwi presence in the series, V8 Supercars has struggled to solidify its international events.

China, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi fell by the wayside after mixed successes, while last season’s event at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, was suspended this year with track officials unable to agree on a race date.

The Australian body, though, remains committed to overseas races for several reasons: the ability to expand internationally in contrast to other Australian sports, greater exposure for manufacturers and sponsors, and expansion of the calendar beyond limited Australian opportunities with few suitable local tracks not currently on the schedule.

With races running over the Australian winter (March to December), the schedule is elongated to avoid key footy code dates and racing in the southern states in the middle of winter. Unless the series considered a summer move, international events help fill the winter void.

So V8 Supercars is promising the addition of a minimum of one and a maximum of three international events on the calendar in 2015, with four years left on the contract with the Circuit of the Americas.

Pairing it up with a second event in North America is the obvious option as freight cost is the biggest hurdle to international events, so squeezing two events in the space of a fortnight makes it commercially viable.

There are no shortage of great North American road courses to consider: Laguna Seca, Road America (Elkhart Lake), Sonoma, Sebring and more.

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Circuit of the Americas had a healthy crowd for its event last year, but having two standalone events so close together is too tough a task to promote and attract sustainable crowds.

V8 Supercars should be looking to pair up with an established event for its second race in America. Pairing with June’s Detroit GP as a support category to the IndyCar series makes sense, as it will showcase V8 Supercars at a race meeting with a ready-made crowd.

With American racing giant Roger Penske – currently the head of the Detroit event – looming as a potential V8 Supercars team boss, speculation suggests it could be a goer. And a street circuit event in the home of Ford and General Motors certainly would be a great fit for V8 Supercars.

North America makes the most sense for international ambitions. The country has a strong racing culture across multiple categories and is home to the most successful stock touring car series, NASCAR.

While the NASCAR giant is so strong it could scare potential rivals away, its limited running on road and street courses and oval-centric schedule allows for a point of difference.

Organisers are also looking beyond North America. Five other countries are reportedly in discussions, though the series’ base and majority of events will remain in Australia.

Pairing up with Formula One events in Asia and the Middle East is a dubious option given the limited track time and harsh commercial terms, but motorsport cultures are being developed in Asia, close to Australia geographically and with a big influence in our automotive sector.

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As V8 Supercars grapples with the impending end of Australia production for Ford and Holden and their uncertain futures in the category, racing overseas will help the international growth of the series and attract new manufacturers to chase championship glory.

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