Motorsport: V8 Supercars puts brakes on overseas expansion

SYDNEY - First it was Shanghai, now it is Bahrain. So where to next for the ever-expanding world of V8 Supercars?

With three international events on the 2006 calendar and rumours of further interest from Southeast Asia and South Africa the shrinking domestic calendar is becoming a concern for Australian fans.

But Australian Vee Eight Supercar Company chief executive Wayne Cattach wants to quash any further expansion rumours, saying Avesco is now concerned with developing the local events.

Avesco's contract with the Confederation of Australian Motorsport is that 10 V8 Supercar rounds must be held in the country and that is a promise they will keep.

"There will always be 10 rounds to keep it a national sport and we are one of the few sports which goes to every state and the Northern Territory," Cattach said.

"We will have four international rounds in the foreseeable future but three rounds is more likely over the next two years at least.

"We need to consolidate and try to digest what we have done.

"We have no aspirations to travel to Europe and North America where there is already an abundance of motorsport product. It is important now we pay a bit more attention to grow domestically."

High on the agenda for the V8 Supercars is securing a street-circuit race in Townsville. North Queensland is an untapped resource of motoring enthusiasts according to Avesco and they want to be there by 2007.

"Townsville is looking pretty good, it is probably about 2007," said Cattach. "It would be a great event, taking it to a part of Australia that does not really see any motorsport."

But the problem is that drivers and manufacturers don't want more than 14 events a year.

The non-championship trip to Phillip Island, for the Formula One race, is on thin ice while Avesco would like to keep the series at 13 championship rounds until a fourth international race is secured.

So for Townsville to be included, another race must be dropped.

It would seem that one Queensland event would replace another, especially as there are two within an hour's drive of each other - Gold Coast and Queensland Raceway at Ipswich.

But this is not necessarily the case, according to Cattach, who believes it will be one of the circuits which holds an only annual agreement with Avesco.

Suddenly Oran Park, in Sydney's southwest, comes into the firing line, but since Eastern Creek was dumped from the 2006 calendar (for Bahrain) it seems unlikely Avesco would leave NSW with just one race - Bathurst.

"If we put it on we have to take one off and we have to look at those events that have an annual agreement with us, such as Queensland Raceway, Oran Park and a couple of others," Cattach said. New Zealand will host the third round next year from April 21-23.

- AAP