V8s. photo by scott glick
According to speculation, next season’s V8 Supercar championship could start with the first two rounds held in the Middle East, as opposed to the traditional start in Adelaide at the Clipsal 500.
Such a move would be a huge risk for the category and a slap in the face to its local fans.
The category already has an international presence, having raced in China and with its annual trip to Bahrain, but to start the season in the Middle East, with Abu Dhabi pairing up with Bahrain, is a significant development.
While it may better suit the drivers and V8 fraternity, with cooler conditions in the region, it significantly robs local fans of the opening round.
The Clipsal 500 has been the perfect launch pad for the V8 Supercar championship.
In the space of just a decade it has cemented itself as a premier event, a popular festival with great crowds, on a challenging street circuit and in a city that gives the V8’s their full attention.
To move the season opener away from that, let alone to the other side of the world, makes little sense.
International expansion may seem like an important step for the series, especially considering it is held in high regard by the wider motorsport world and it could further cement its standing within that by racing and attracting more interest in a region with a growing motorsport investment.
But where does the V8 series see itself long term? Is this part of a wider expansion plan for more overseas races?
The current series deal limits the amount of overseas races, but some fans fear the long-term repercussions of these international flings will slowly wear away at the traditions and unique Aussieness of the series.
There will certainly be a backlash from local fans, particularly those who make the annual trek to Clipsal for the traditional season start.
It’s all well and good chasing international opportunities, but the V8’s still have much work to do to consolidate their place in the Australian sporting landscape.
Is this an acceptance that V8 Supercars may be reaching the limit of its potential growth within Australia and New Zealand and it needs to be seen competing with other international motorsport categories for the international loot available in the Middle East?
Mainstream media attention of the series remains disappointing, and the perception of the series splits opinion like few other codes.
There is also the bigger issue of drawing out a calendar already too thinly spread over the year.
With a likely calendar that includes sixteen rounds next year, including the non-championship event at the Australian F1 Grand Prix, spread from February to the beginning of December, the series has an average of approximately three weeks between rounds.
It is too long and too drawn out and it is one of the principle reasons why the series struggles to make an impact in the mainstream press, especially in between rounds when there is so little to talk about.
But there will be plenty to discuss when, and if, this news is confirmed.
The Middle Eastern sojourn will become an even bigger gamble with the burden of two rounds and starting the series.
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