Motorsport: V8 Supercars head to US

The Circuit of The Americas under construction in Austin, Texas where the Australian V8 Supercars can race. Photo / Supplied

The Australian V8 Supercars entertainment machine continues to expand and the home of big banger racing will get to see the Australasian version in 2013.

The new Formula One circuit under construction in Austin, Texas will host a full championship round of the V8s at a date yet to be confirmed. The track, known as the Circuit of The Americas, is well under construction and although primarily built to hold a round of the F1 championships, is keen to showcase the big taxis to the Americans.

In an even bigger coup, the SPEED network will televise the two 200km races live throughout North and South America, increasing the global V8 Supercars audience by an estimated 79 million subscribers in the States alone. The race will also be broadcast in Australia, New Zealand and around the world through V8 Supercars' other international broadcast partners.

V8 Supercars chairman Tony Cochrane, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, Texas Governor Rick Perry and founding partner of Circuit of the Americas Tavo Hellmund have all put pen to paper to confirm the race will go ahead.

By signing the deal, V8 Supercars continues its global expansion and hopes to hold up to six races a year outside Australia and New Zealand.

Overseas expansion is necessary for the series' future development and global recognition has grown so much that the FIA has sanctioned it as an international series. "North Americans have embraced V8 Supercars through the SPEED network in a way that is beyond anything we could have imagined," said Cochrane.

V8 Supercars will now take place alongside other Lone Star state sports like Formula One, MotoGP, NASCAR, the NFL, NBA, NCAA (various collegiate sports) and tennis.

"Rest assured we're not in the game of taking on Nascar, we're in the game of taking a great entertainment product that's off the track as well," said V8 Supercars media manager Cole Hitchcock. Bar probably the Indianapolis 500, motor racing events in America are all about racing only. In Australasia it's only Bathurst and Queensland Raceway that are really all about the racing whereas Adelaide, Sydney, Hamilton and a number of other venues are about the whole entertainment package.

There has often been talk about the lack of spectators at the Middle East round but that's not an issue with the V8s heading out there.

Motorsport has a huge history of more than 100 years in the US so getting fans to turn up won't be a problem.

The Middle East is only about three years' old so ripe for expanding the fan base.

"The thing about the Americans is that all ready understand and love motor racing and our road course style of racing will something a little bit different and our cars a different to anything they've got as well. But having said that, the V8s are powered by American-based engines - Ford and Holden (GM) - so American fans will relate," said Hitchcock.

Circuit of the Americas

* The Circuit of the Americas is under construction to host the 2012 Formula One US Grand Prix and the 2013 MotoGP Grand Prix World Championships.

* The 5.5km circuit is the first purpose-built GP circuit in the US.

* It has an elevation change of 40m and is designed for all classes of racing.

* Austin is a sister city of Adelaide, home to one of V8 Supercars' biggest events: the Clipsal 500.

* The last time an Australian sport was exported to the US was when an additional fourth State of Origin rugby league game was played at Long Beach in California in 1987.

* Circuit of the Americas is situated on a 404ha site in southeast Austin.

* Austin is the state capital of Texas and its fourth-largest city.

* V8 Supercars are flown by Australian company Gibson Freight. More than 100 tonnes of equipment and 500 personnel travel to international events.