MOTORSPORT: Getting to the truth of things

A little light shed on Queensland racing affairs
Some truth serum has been dispensed this week in south-east Queensland, which these days sees itself as a hub -- indeed some in the area see it as the hub -- of Australian motorsport.

The first dose came from John Tetley, who operates Queensland Raceway at Ipswich and the boutique remnant of Lakeside in Brisbane. The second, milder dose has been on the Gold Coast, via the local newspaper -- The Bulletin -- which has been, belatedly, scratching the surface of A1 GP's problems in search of a definitive answer on whether the A1 open-wheeler cars are going to make it for the "SuperGP" -- the new incarnation of the former Indy carnival.

But, first, back to the strong medicine from John Tetley.

His comments came, in an article in Brisbane's Courier-Mail in the wake of the announcement of the 2010 V8 Supercar calendar. That calendar has Queensland Raceway down for a round on April 30-May 2, rather than in its traditional August to avoid a clash with Brisbane's Ekka (what other capitals called the Royal Show) – but the listing is only provisional, with series organiser V8 Supercar Australia saying it is subject to an upgrade of the venue.

Now, to take up the story, Tetley -- who leases Queensland Raceway from its owner, the Queensland government -- says it would be hard to find the estimated $4 million needed for that upgrade. He said the organisers (V8SA) had not yet stipulated what facilities needed to be upgraded but had "hinted" at a new pitlane complex with corporate facilities.

"We would invest more if it was worth it, but those developments are more for the teams and corporates, not for the everyday fans. My mantra is motorsport for the masses," Tetley said.

Tetley said his investment at Queensland Raceway and Lakeside had been directed towards "accessible and affordable" club motorsport.

"I think the V8 round has run its course at Queensland Raceway. If it does run again, they (V8SA) can hire it and run it themselves, like they do at Phillip Island and Tasmania," he said.

Then Tetley got to the crux of a matter that regular readers will know is a bit of a hobbyhorse of this author -- the sense (or nonsense) and viability of racing on temporary street circuits rather than permanent tracks. Tetley said governments -- meaning Australian state governments -- had poured about $1 billion into street circuits in the past 20 years with no permanent infrastructure benefit.

"They should direct more funding into tracks where the permanent facilities can be used by other motorsports, not just V8 Supercars," he said.

"About $165 million has gone into Indy over the years and more than twice that went into Melbourne [the Australian Formula One Grand Prix venue since 1996], then there's Adelaide [the AGP venue for 11 years and a V8 Supercar venue for the past decade], and this year Townsville and Homebush [the upcoming new Sydney street race at the city's Olympic precinct].

"We would have had three world-class motor racing facilities in Australia, like a Nurburgring [in Germany], on the money governments have spent on street circuits.

"At what stage do these governments take some responsibility for the facilities for motorsport like they do cricket and football?"

In the particular case of the government-owned Queensland Raceway, Tetley said: "Would you expect a tenant to spend that sort of money (the $4 million mentioned) on other people's facilities?"

Queensland sports minister Phil Reeves told the article's author, Mark Hinchcliffe, that he had asked the state's Sport and Recreation Services and the Ipswich City Council to work with Queensland Raceway to secure the V8 Supercar round, but added that "no commitments have been made".

Now Tetley has pretty much hit things on the head here, except that there is one logical and obvious extension to his argument. The Queensland government forks out massively for the Gold Coast street race carnival – formerly Indy, now called SuperGP -- and this year, for the first time, has done so for the new Townsville event, and it owns Queensland Raceway, with Tetley operating it as the lessee.

Now, that government has been very benevolent in bankrolling the Gold Coast and Townsville events the way it has and, since it owns Queensland Raceway, if anybody in the government had any sense in these matters it might occur to them that they could justifiably communicate to V8SA that the government expects it (V8SA) to assist in ensuring the viability of Queensland Raceway.

In other words, in return for the enormous generosity of the government in financially supporting the Gold Coast and Townsville street races that allow V8SA to showcase its product it (V8SA) ought not make demands on the permanent circuit that was, after all, created for the benefit of the V8 Supercar fraternity.

Or, if the government does shell out even more taxpayer funds on an upgrade at a permanent circuit like Queensland Raceway, there ought to be some quid pro quo from V8SA somewhere along the line.

In short, the message from the government to V8SA ought to be that it is not for government(s) to be providing, from taxpayer coffers, all the platforms for V8SA to be operating its business for profit. Put another way, that the government contributions – very large contributions – ought be seen as a privilege rather than a right. And that, in the totality of things, V8SA ought to be trying to facilitiate rounds of the national touring championship it took over rather than trying to squeeze -- or try to hold to ransom -- the circuit promoters.

What John Tetley has stated is the most commonsense we’ve heard in Australian motorsport this year.

Perhaps he deserves the Barry Sheene Medal for saying it. Now wouldn’t that be an irony -- the late Barry Sheene's mate, V8SA executive chairman Tony Cochrane, presenting that medal to Tetley for having the fortitude to speak his mind. And espouse a view contrary to Emperor Cochrane!

A1 is not A-grade
Now the other Queensland matter we've been following this week has been the interest on the Gold Coast in whether the A1 GP show is going to make it there for the October 22-25 SuperGP.

The reality has dawned on some people in the media and state opposition that A1 is in dire financial straits -- a subject we've touched on numerous times here over some years now.

It would be a great pity if A1 collapsed before the SuperGP, which will be the best opportunity it has had to showcase its wares -- which it markets, with some degree of truth, as the most competitive open-wheeler racing in the world. Its problem is that too much money has been burned over its past four seasons and that there does not appear to be the money around for it to meet its outstanding and, in some cases, urgent debts.

The Gold Coast Bulletin's Tanya Westthorp has chipped away, applying a little truth serum, on the matter of A1 most of this week.

Her efforts have been commendable -- three articles, titled 'A1GP puts commitment in writing', V8s set for top billing', and 'A1GP racers’ beds booked' -- although many questions remain.

The bottom line of it all is that no proper due diligence was done on A1 GP by the Queensland event organiser and that A1 GP chairman Tony Teixeira has provided "guarantees" that the show will arrive - but those assurances are not worth a cracker. While the reports of accommodation bookings, and deposits paid, by A1 GP teams on the Gold Coast are cause for some optimism, there are other gaps in the big picture - even questions about whether the supposed pre-SuperGP test at Queensland Raceway on the Monday before the event is booked.

Not helping with transparency in all of this is that, while Westthorp's investigations have been made from the Bulletin newsroom, that paper's motorsport columnist doubles as the paid propagandist for the SuperGP. The concept of conflict of interest is not easily grasped on the Gold Coast.

Briscoe in the frame
The final Gold Coast Indy winner, Ryan Briscoe, may clinch America's IndyCar title this weekend -- in Japan.

Sydneysider Briscoe, driving for the mighty Team Penske, leads the series by 25 points with just this weekend's round at the 2.4km Motegi Twin Ring and another at Homestead-Miami in Florida to go. Only Team Ganassi's drivers, New Zealander and reigning champion Scott Dixon and Scotsman Dario Franchitti, can beat Briscoe to the crown.

Another contender at Motegi though may well be Danica Patrick.

Last year at Motegi Patrick became the only woman to win a major open-wheeler motor race, however, she has made little progress this season. Although she is fifth in the IndyCar championship, her future looks to be more likely in NASCAR in the longterm -- perhaps in association with Tony Stewart.

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