Frustratingly long breaks between events could be a thing of the past for V8 Supercars fans from 2016 onwards.
CEO James Warburton has confirmed the category is working on a calendar that will be more compact with most events held two weeks apart. The only lull in proceedings will be a mid-season winter break.
The 2016 V8 Supercars calendar will be unveiled in September.
The 2015 calendar has been a stop-start affair with five weeks separating the Tasmanian and Western Australian events and another five week break between Winton and the June 19-21 SKYCITY Triple Crown Darwin SuperSprint.
The plans for the 2016 calendar are previewed late in 2015, because the last five events – beginning with the Supercheap Auto 1000 – are run every two weeks.
Warburton told v8supercars.com.au the intention would be to continue starting the season in March in Adelaide at the Clipsal 500 and finishing it at the Sydney 500.
However, the plan is to move the Sydney Olympic event forward into mid-November from its current timing in early December.
Up to seven events would be conducted by May, with the balance rolling out from mid to late June.
“I have been very clear that we are always going to start in Adelaide and try and get as much rhythm in the season as we can, racing roughly every two weeks,” Warburton said.
“Then we would have a winter break of between four and six weeks and then come back to Darwin.”
Warburton said the calendar would have to take into account the need for the Darwin and Perth events to have a three week gap beforehand for logistical reasons.
“But then (we want) to race as consistently as possible and then conclude in that middle week of November and ensure we try and compress the calendar into nine months.”
Warburton said the new international venture to the KL City Grand Prix in Malaysia, which is to be a 2016 championship event, fitted well into the calendar if it stays in its early August timeslot.
Five V8 Supercars head to the inaugural event this August on the streets of the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, to run demonstration races in preparation for 2016.
“There will need to be a bit of a tweak through July but it is far enough away from the Wilson Security Sandown 500 and the start of the Pirtek Enduro Cup to give us enough breathing space,” Warburton said. “In fact it’s probably the perfect date for us.”
As previously reported, Warburton has made it clear the KL City Grand Prix will not replace any local events on the calendar, but there are still some domestic deals to be hammered out before it is unveiled.
As has been previously publicly reported, the deal to race in Perth is up for renewal and being negotiated. Warburton indicated he expected that matter to be resolved positively.
Separate to that there is also the possibility of the Australian Grand Prix races being conducted for championship points.
“We’d love for the Australian Grand Prix to tweak that format and become a round of the Championship. But that is not in our hands; that is up to the Australian Grand Prix Commission. We have certainly ticked every box and now it is up to them to decide.
“We’ll just keep pushing forward.”
Warburton says he regards 16 events as ideal for a nine month calendar. If WA renews and no hiccups arise that is how many venues V8 Supercars is scheduled to visit in 2016.
