F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is apparently working on a deal that will see the V8 Supercars Championship play a support-act role at the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix, according to latest reports in the local V8X magazine.
Martin Whitaker – the former boss of the Bahrain Grand Prix circuit and the current CEO of V8 Supercars Australia – told the magazine: “[Formula 1 officialdom] want us to go [to Singapore].
“[Ecclestone] would love to have us there in an earlier timeslot. It’s better for the spectators, better for the city and puts an extra four hours on to the show as far as Singapore is concerned.”
One stumbling block is that such scheduling would create a clash in broadcasting rights – with the Australian Channel 7 holding the V8 Supercars’ broadcasting rights and Channel 10 holding the F1 broadcasting rights locally – that could see any racing in Singapore not counting towards the V8 championship standings.
Whitaker admitted that the TV broadcasting hurdle was “clearly one of the things we would have to work at” before any announcement regarding a Singapore event could be made.
The current negotiations have also delayed the release of the 2011 V8 Supercars’ season’s calendar until October.
Watch this space…
Richard Bailey
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