V8 Supercar Australia chairman Tony Cochrane has moved to quell talk that the championship could be looking to join forces with the Champ Car World Series for a number of events in the future.
Speculation on the Gold Coast during the Lexmark Indy 300 weekend which again drew a bumper crowd of over 300,000 suggested that the two parties could try and work together beyond the Surfers Paradise event, with the V8s drawing in large crowds which would appeal to the CCWS and also expressing a desire to go more international in the future.
However, Cochrane insisted that any talk of a possible tie-up was nothing other than nonsense with the chairman stating that discussions hadn't even taken place over extending the current deal to race with Champ Car on the Gold Coast, the current agreement having just one year left to run.
At no stage has either myself or anyone from the management of V8 Supercars Australia held discussions with Champ Car with a view to holding joint races in any location, he said. I have no idea where this story originated and we have no short or long term plans to conduct events either in Australia or overseas with Champ Car.
The relationship has worked well on the Gold Coast up until now and only has one year left on our current agreement. At this stage we have no plans and nor have we discussed the future to be involved in Indy beyond the event next October.
I am disappointed that these type of speculative comments would come up when at no stage have I been asked for my opinion. V8 Supercars Australia has an outstanding success record with events both in Australia and internationally and our primary market remains Australia.
Next year we will introduce a new street race in New Zealand which on advance sales has almost sold out six months before the event begins in Hamilton. The board of V8 Supercars Australia takes its' responsibility to the championship in a serious manner and does not conduct speculative concepts via the press.
