No V8 Supercars at the Melb F1 GP

[a777]

Here

"V8 Supercars Australia has made the decision that Australia’s premier motor sport category will not attend the 2007 Australian Grand Prix due to a date clash.

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation announced on Friday that the 2007 event will be held on March 15-18 next year, the same weekend that the World Swimming Championships commence in Melbourne.

V8 Supercars Australia Chief Executive Officer Wayne Cattach said that V8 Supercars Australia had thought the Grand Prix date would be the previous weekend.

“We were very surprised on Friday that the date they chose clashes with the World Swimming Championships, which also makes it very hard to secure accommodation on that weekend,” Mr Cattach said today.

The board of V8 Supercars Australia held a teleconference over the weekend to discuss the AGP date and voted that it does not fit with the 2007 Championship Series calendar that is being finalised this month.

“We are disappointed that we won’t be attending and have notified Tim Bamford from the Grand Prix Corporation who was surprised but accepting of our decision,” Mr Cattach said.

“There is a clash of dates in that we are planning a Championship round the following weekend in Perth. It is physically impossible for our teams to compete at the Grand Prix and turn around just a few days later in Perth.

“Our planning for 2007 has been underway for several months, since we announced that Seven will assume the broadcast rights from next year. These discussions include moving the Perth round outside of the AFL season due to the two-hour time difference of the western seaboard.

“With the Grand Prix a non-Championship event our first priority is to the regular Championship season, our teams and the host broadcaster which next year will be Network Seven.”

V8 Supercars have traditionally raced at the Grand Prix as the premier support category. The event, however, does not count for Championship points and as such is not a round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series.

V8 Supercars Australia will release its full 2007 calendar in the first two weeks of September."

[Grumpy Rooster]

The fact the Grand Prix is shown on "that other" station, not 7, I'm sure had nothing to do with it.

[willsy01]

An excellent start to Ch7s aquisition of coverage rights

Final nail?

[4dr32]

The fact the Grand Prix is shown on "that other" station, not 7, I'm sure had nothing to do with it.

Exactly.. all I read was blah, blah, blah Ch7 not happy with them racing at a Ch10 event...

Ch 7 ftl

[Shitbreak]

I'm sure Cockran feels he made the right decision now giving the catagory to a channel that has an interest in the future of the sport.

[Grunt]

fucking clowns.

[Zac]

So what? Means they can piss off the boring spec-racing support series. I'm sure the Sports Sedan or even IPRA guys would LOVE to get out there and show off. Tons of other good racing to do the job.

[Monk]

'which also makes it very hard to secure accommodation'? I've put forward less pissweakly excuses than that in the past and have quite rightly been shot down.

But that has been something that has annoyed me the last couple of years, it's been like the V8's have been on a level of F1. One is high tech shit, one is not. I'm trying to say something like think you're top shit but aren't and just because you're the only top motor sport category in the country doesn't mean the rest of the world will do what you say and failing. damn

[Peter...]

'which also makes it very hard to secure accommodation'? I've put forward less pissweakly excuses than that in the past and have quite rightly been shot down.

But that has been something that has annoyed me the last couple of years, it's been like the V8's have been on a level of F1. One is high tech shit, one is not. I'm trying to say something like think you're top shit but aren't and just because you're the only top motor sport category in the country doesn't mean the rest of the world will do what you say and failing. damn

que?

[MickyD]

it's not actually the world swimming championships that are on that weekend, it's the world DIVING championships. just a bit of a difference......

[trent from punchy]

wow didnt know there were that many divers in the world.

[WRXCORE]

It is the World Aquatics Championships. Swimming will take place in the 2nd week. Long after the race is over.

But yeah the excuses are pretty lame since the GP starts on the Thursday and the Championship doesnt start till the Sunday.

[lumpy]

So what? Means they can piss off the boring spec-racing support series. I'm sure the Sports Sedan or even IPRA guys would LOVE to get out there and show off. Tons of other good racing to do the job.

the v8s would have to be one of the best support races out there. I know it's dinsoaur stuff but they have lots of argy-bargy, close racing and sound great. Sports sedan would be awesum but it seems due to the way F1 qualify now there's much less time for support races.

[itsnotagsr]

Who the **** cares about swimming anyway...

I think they'll just get the AMRS guys in.

[WRXCORE]

I been to the last 7 MelbGP and I rarely watched any of the support races, so its not really a loss for me, but I can see they would loose some general ad ticket sales for the Friday and Saturday for "v8 fans".

The way F1 is now, I would say there is more time for Support races not less. They close the gates at like 6pm that is plenty of time after qualiying to show races and Sunday mornings they dont have the practise anymore soo even more time for races.