MOTORSPORT: NZ V8 Supercar shock

Hamilton organiser Dean Calvert risks losing his house even before the April 16-18 event, according to a report in today's Waikato Times newspaper in Hamilton.

Calvert and race director colleague Steve Vuleta are reported to have taken severe financial hits that they say they cannot continue to endure.

Next month's Hamilton 400 is to be the third under what is a seven-year deal for the street event.

The first was in 2008.

The Waikato Times report says ticket sales are way down, after revenues last year shrank from NZ$14 million to NZ$10 million.

"Ticket sales are considerably down on where they have been," Vuleta told the paper.

"The event is only safe provided ticket sales increase dramatically.

"We can't keep taking personal hits like this."

Calvert said he was prepared to sacrifice his luxury home to keep the event alive in the regional city.

The paper said that last year Caleta Streetrace Management, a company of which Calvert and Vuleta are co-directors, was caught out by building about 10,000 too many grandstand seats which had to be paid for although they went empty.

While the situation is an embarrassment for the V8 Supercar Championship organisers who made such a fuss about Hamilton and NZ embracing the event, it is more broadly an unfortunate potential setback for motorsport across the Tasman.

The full Waikato Times report is here while a very odd response -- about free tickets via airline Pacific Blue -- has appeared on the V8 Supercar website.

The response has the appearance of the solution you have, or attempt, when you don't admit what the problem is.

Hopefully, for the benefit of NZ motorsport, the event can go ahead next month and a longer-term solution be found.

This mess may not have arisen had the event been on a permanent race circuit.

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