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AGP WORKING TO KEEP SUPERCARS

Australian Grand Prix working to keep Supercars - Image: InSyde Media

By Bruce Williams

Australian Grand Prix working to keep Supercars - Image: InSyde Media

Australian Grand Prix working to keep Supercars – Image: InSyde Media

Australian Grand Prix organisers hope Supercars will still be on the F1 undercard at Albert Park in November.

By MARK FOGARTY

The postponement of the AGP puts it just two weeks after Supercars is due to race in New Zealand.

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation, which stages the Melbourne GP, has started talks to secure Supercars as the main support race category.

In fact, according to AGPC chief executive Andrew Westacott, the event wants all support categories at F1’s rescheduled appearance from November 18-21.

“From a support category point of view, we’re going to work with every one of the support categories nationally to make sure that we can be having them as part of our support program,” Westacott said. “Clearly, that’s going to have some challenges, particularly with the NZ round of Supercars a couple of weeks beforehand, but we do want to make sure that we have the best program.”

As well as four Supercars championship races, TCR, S5000, TCM and Porsche Carrera Cup were to compete at Albert Park from March 18-21.

Westacott confirmed no decision had been made on whether Supercars could fit the postponed AGP into its schedule.

“We’ve advised and had discussions with Supercars about the change,” he said. “Clearly, we weren’t able to do that until we had Formula 1 finalisation and our team is working with Supercars pretty much as we speak.

“There are no solutions to that just yet. It’ll be something we work through. We have a desire to have Supercars on the program. If it worked out possibly that it would be the second last round of their season, then that would be a great outcome.”

Supercars is scheduled to race in NZ – at either Pukekohe or Hampton Downs outside Auckland – on November 6-7, but that is contingent on free trans-Tasman travel.

If it goes ahead, fitting in the AGP two weeks later would be problematic, if not impossible, because the cars and equipment are returning by ship.

However, as they are going back to Melbourne, making the AGP might just be possible.

Re-adding Albert Park would fit in with Supercars’ December 3-5 Gold Coast finale.

But the current near-month gap between NZ and Surfers Paradise suggests a long break is needed to get the cars and equipment back, and then allow the teams plenty of time to prepare for the final round.

If the trans-Tasman travel ‘bubble’ is not extended eastbound without a 14-day quarantine from Australia, the rescheduled AGP – assuming it happens – would fill the gap.

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