V8 Supercar Racing Is Doomed In Western Australia

[f-wolf]

21 December 2007

V8 Supercar racing is doomed in Western Australia, if we are to believe what we read.

The WA government has rejected V8 Supercars Australia's pitch for a street circuit in Perth.

And V8SA has said it will only race at Wanneroo -- or Barbagallo -- Raceway for another two years.

That creates a stalemate, or at least a potential stalemate.

V8SA will try to paint the WA government's decision as denying V8 Supercar fans in WA a round of the national championship to go to watch.

That same organisation may, at the same time, find itself having to defend itself or justify its call on not racing in WA after 2009 to sponsors, fans and teams.

As always with these things, much of it will be a game of bluff.

Sure WA V8 fans will dip out if there is no round in the state.

But the pressure on V8SA to keep racing there, and to find a solution to the stalemate, could be intense.

For starters, competing manufacturers Expensive Daewoo and Ford surely will want to keep racing in Australia's boom state.

It was not so long ago that this series was called the Shell Australian Touring Car Championship, and at various times there was disquiet in the ranks of competitors about racing in WA.

But Shell always wanted a round in the West because it was an important market for its fuel sales.

Shell is no longer a key player in Australian motor sport, but other corporates associated with V8 Supercar racing may have particularly strong feelings about any effective ban on racing in the state.

The WA government's rejection of the street race proposal made back page news in the West Australian newspaper this week.

One of the paper's senior sports writers, Dave Hughes, called the decision a "death sentence" for the idea.

Hughes wrote that V8SA had asked the WA government for $30 million "to develop a riverfront circuit and fund racing for at least five years".

Tourism WA turned down the proposal because of the cost and the disruption it would cause in Perth, Hughes said.

And, pertinently, Tourism WA chief executive Richard Muirhead said TV coverage of a street race would be similar to that from Barbagallo and would not showcase Perth's scenic aspects as well as other events -- an obvious reference to the hugely popular Red Bull air race there.

Muirhead estimated the cost of a street race to WA taxpayers at $6.3 million a year and said construction of the circuit would take 14 weeks, with many city streets having to be closed for the four days of an event.

"We don't know the full cost unless a $330,000 feasibility study is conducted, which V8SA has requested the state to fund," Muirhead said.

"We do not believe it is our responsibility to finance this study."

Muirhead and WA Tourism have shown themselves to be quite astute in this matter.

In our scribblings here over a year or more we have been a strong advocate for a true national championship going to all corners of the country.

We have particularly applauded the initiative for a V8 Supercar Championship round in Townsville.

However, we have repeatedly questioned the wisdom of street races -- because of the cost of them, the likelihood that the TV audience will be no greater than for a race at a permanent circuit, and because of the risk that more and more street races will kill off existing tracks and, if those street races eventually fall over, Australian motor sport could be left with few places to race.

Few others in this debate have been bold enough to say publicly that they doubt the TV coverage would be any greater from a street race, and that a government being asked to bankroll such an event shouldn't be expected to pay for the feasibility study.

The acid test for V8SA would be for governments to challenge it to foot the bill for constructing the venue and staging the race -- and see whether it was prepared to accept that challenge.

As much as we like motor racing, what other major sport seriously expects -- or has the cheek to ask -- governments to underwrite its activities?

Street races have a chequered history in this country.

Melbourne's Formula 1 grand prix on the streets of Albert Park is now fighting for its survival in a sea of red ink - $35 million of it this year.

There are exceptional circumstances there, in the shape of the fee Bernie Ecclestone's empire charges for the right to hold the GP and the rate at which that fee increases every year.

Adelaide is perfectly content with its Clipsal 500 V8 Supercar round. It has been happy to bear the staging costs and has promoted the event as only Adelaide does.

We expect New Zealand's new street race at Hamilton to largely replicate the Adelaide experience.

Townsville has been relentless in its pursuit of a V8 Supercar Championship round, and seems even to have secured $10 million of federal funding to get it off the ground.

We don't doubt it will be massively popular in the Far North but wonder about how the financials will look in a few years, and whether it will still be embraced so warmly.

Canberra had a street race for a couple of years but cut short its contract because it found the event unsatisfactory.

WA earlier rejected a push for a street race at Fremantle, and some of the reasoning now given for the Perth decision sounds a remarkably similar tune.

And, despite V8SA head Tony Cochrane's determination to get a race up at Sydney's Homebush Olympic precinct, his enthusiasm has never been shared by those in NSW who would have to write the cheques for it.

V8SA has said that, even after its proposed upgrading, Barbagallo won't be up to the mark for a round of its championship.

The WA government said it would meeting the WA Sporting Car Club, the Barbagallo circuit operator, about its upgrade, but V8SA's Wayne Cattach said that would have no bearing on the V8s pulling out of WA.

Cattach said Barbagallo "just no longer stacks up".

"It doesn't have a long-term future and there's no other alternative in Perth," he told the West Australian.

"WA is notorious for losing big events, and the treatment of our proposal was harsh.

"They've done their figures for five years; we quoted 10 (years).

"It's sad, because we have a big fan base there, but if they don't want to build a new track, that's that. We have other places to go."

To us, this sounds like yet another imitation of Bernie Ecclestone's F1 negotiating tactics.

What V8SA might do well to consider, though, is that what the WA government might not like, indeed won't tolerate, is anyone trying to, euphemistically, hold a gun to its head.

[Falcon XR-]

Where would we be without V8SA?

For years the loyal V8 fans in Bahrain had to go without a race until recently, the huge attendance crowds backed up the great idea to send Aussie V8's there...............

I really feel for the true V8 fans that will ultimately miss out on a race in WA if V8SA aren't given a wake up call soon..........

[Guest newl]

Doesn't sound all that surpirsing really. They pissed off the WRC event(s) and no longer have the exposure that such a world wide event provides. This is just the next stepping stone at deterring tourism for motorsport.

[ant0n]

barbagallo is a hole drifting there is a joke , they locked all the toilets and so there were people pissing in the walkways and stands. collie is a nicer track, oh well ill be glad when they are gone, and when they ban driftin so no national drifting comp, barbagallo will be sold to someone else and itll get the rebirth it deservs

[bzerkone]

what an awesome street circuit we'd have over here aswell racing around the river! the state government needs to step in and say well weve lost every other event and gained the redbull air race :banghead: (I think we only have it for 1 more year) and were not about to lose australias most popular motorsport... but then again it is the government

maybe someone should try get a petition going?!

[Brad.R]

Well it shows how the WA government is. A street race in perth is exactly what it needs and shows how much WA is afraid of change (ie DAYLIGHT SAVINGS) Im sure everyone knows how Adelaide gets congested with the Clipsall but its a huge race and everyone loves it. Yeah the WRC is now gone too, now the V8's, the red bull air race is going in a year, what next?? The TARGA too?? WOW the only thing now is the Targa West and some drag events. WOOHOO!! AWESOME!!! No V8's or WRC anymore. Way to go WA TOURISM!! Way to bring the fans over west!!

Well im moving back home to Adelaide in the new year so PERTH CAN KISS MY CURVY BUTT GOOOOOODBYE!!!!

[bonza]

Every week there is something in the newspaper making reference to Perth being "Dullsville". This is just another example.

[snail]

Maybe us dudes in Perth need to contact a few MP's so that the V8 message gets through otherwi se I will have to force the Bathurst issue with the other half and tent it once a year!

[macka'sxr6t]

Guy's I feel sorry for you. Just another example of government not having a clue.

But looking across the borders from Vic it seems that WA only has one interest and that's F@#in football. And I truely believe that is all the sport the government thinks it needs.

Get on your collective high horse and make a noise. The biggest booming state not to have a decent race track is pathetic.

[bonza]

yep, they dont call us "Perth-etic" for nothing.