MOTORSPORT: Who's fooling who, and for how long?

The prospect of new motor racing circuits and even new series are usually interesting and, for motor racing fans like us, generally very welcome. However, it must be said that some of the "news" in the past few hours is fantasy.

Firstly, the proposal for a new circuit, indeed motorsport "epicentre", at Norwell, between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Great!

At $650m? Without government money? With mysterious backers who think Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone might come to them wanting to run the Australian Grand Prix there, under lights? Yet, these same mysterious backers saying this supposed $650 million project won't need major events to exist!

Believe or not, that's the crux of today's Australian motorsport news, reported in Brisbane's Courier-Mail newspaper. We must say that the Courier-Mail report, written by the paper's longtime and award-winning motorsport correspondent, Gordon Lomas, takes a far more charitable -- indeed very generous -- view of things than us.

Indeed, a 180-degree different view.

Anyway, we'll return to that a little later in this column Now, from London today, come reports of a proposed new open-wheeler series that's supposed to be going to bring untold riches to soccer clubs as well as the motor racing teams competing in it. And it's going to be a potential financial and media threat to F1, we're told.

Stop! Please. Enough…

Haven't we heard all this before? And what did it come to last time, and the time before that? Aren't the A1 GP series and the even more invisible GP Masters series on, to coin a phrase, death's doorstep?

The Queensland and soccer-inspired racing subjects have been served up with more spin than Shane Warne ever conjured.

Atkinson, who crashed his Subaru Impreza out of last weekend's Rally of Portugal, has a month to find a new co-driver for the Rally of Argentina.

In the meantime, Atkinson is in one of the favoured cars for Easter's revived Bathurst 12-hour -- a Subaru, of course, with triple Australian and reigning Asia-Pacific rally champion Cody Crocker and Dean Herridge, the West Australian who is well-performed in gravel and tarmac rallying.

The 12-hour "showroom showdown" -- with 35 cars entered -- starts at 5:45am Sunday.

Using a mandated Panoz chassis this year, Champ Car has Australian driver Will Power and now two teams with Aussie part-owners -- Craig Gore and Paul Stoddart -- and begins with three street races in as many weeks.

Some cynics suggest the series will collapse by the third round, but history shows that Champ Car is nothing if not resilient.

An extraordinary meeting of the TEGA board this week, held by telephone hook-up, elevated Hewson to the position, while Larry Perkins returns to the board in place of Mark Skaife, who had to stand down in the Holden Racing Team ownership saga. Kelvin O'Reilly remains general manager.

That's that, but the HRT issue is still not completely over. Expect it to be back in the headlines in the lead-up to the New Zealand round of the championship in two weeks.

>> Not so Bright
Jason Bright's Britek has leased a Ford Falcon chassis from Brad Jones Racing for NZ while efforts are made to salvage the Falcon that Bright crashed at Barbagallo in Western Australia in practice for the second round of the title.

Britek faces either a repair bill of up to $150,000 or a $400,000 write-off on that car.

>> Enduring partnerships
The V8 Supercar endurance line-ups continue to take shape …

Craig Baird and David Reynolds will share the HSV Dealer Team's second Commodore. Baird will be lining up for his tenth Bathurst but the enduros will be the Supercar debut for 21–year-old Reynolds, who was the Australian Formula Ford Champion in 2004.

Both are Porsche Carrera Cup frontrunners, along with Alex Davison.

HSV will keep V8 Supercar champion Rick Kelly and Garth Tander together for Sandown and Bathurst this year, after the controversial -- and ill-fated -- swap last year that saw Tander with HRT for the enduros.

Ford Performance Racing has confirmed the return of New Zealander Matt Haliday for Sandown and Bathurst.

Nathan Pretty looks set to rejoin HRT for the enduros. He's been with the Supercheap Autos team for the long-distance races the past two years. Pretty, Tasman Motorsports' Jason Richards, and Larry Perkins-Jack Daniel's pair Shane Price and Jack Perkins are sharing a Holden Astra VXR Coupe (pictured) at Bathurst in the Easter enduro.

An all-female crew -- Leanne Tander, Samantha Reid, Christina Orr and Lauren Gray -- is in the Holden factory's second entry, a diesel-powered Astra CDTI Turbo, at Bathurst this weekend.

>> The $650m questions
Now back to matters we broached at the start…

We made our scepticism about some of the things reported pretty clear. We doubt that the soccer-linked open-wheeler series idea will get off the ground, but we don't doubt a new racetrack, or even grander motorsport centre, could be built in Queensland.

However, we have major doubts that $650m will be spent or is even available to those proposing to build it.

Likewise, we can't see the Australian Grand Prix ever being held there, a few kilometres up the road from where the Gold Coast Indy race is run -- and without government money.

We think the best way to proceed here is to run the Courier-Mail report below, with our thoughts in the square brackets. So here goes …

The Courier-Mail report begins: "A field near the Gold Coast will become the epicentre of motorsport in the southern hemisphere with a proposed $650 million complex set to lure the world's top racing.

"The project involves building a motorsport enclave on canefields on 400ha near Norwell … and is expected to inject millions into the Queensland economy and create 5000 jobs." [Apart from the extravagant value on the project, where do the proponents of such proposals pluck such job-creation figures from?]

"It is also a bold bid to wrest F1 from Melbourne. [It's fairyland!]

"This project is what we have needed for a long time ... we need something more than just club venues," race legend Dick Johnson said.

"Queensland is starved for motor racing, and this will be a world-class facility that is not just about motor-racing events but about the whole business around it." [Perhaps so, Dick, but where's the $650 million?]

"A world-class international motor racing complex is only weeks away from final approval." [Not according to Deputy Premier Anna Bligh's comments later in the story.]

"The project is called i-METT (Integrated Motorsport Education Tourism and Technology)." [Don't doubt the name.]

"Its first big event, a leg of the World Rally Championship, has already been sealed with Rally Australia, blasting off from the Gilberton-Norwell site, 38km south of Brisbane, from September next year." [That's 18 months away. What groundworks have been done so far?]

"There also is a compelling case for F1 to be lured away from Melbourne's Albert Park circuit, which costs the Victorian Government tens of millions of dollars each year." [What's compelling? And why would the GP costs be so different at Norwell? Sure, the proposal is for a permanent circuit, but new GP venues are paying even more astronomical race fees to Bernie Ecclestone.]

"Project bosses say the complex has been designed so that major events do not have to be underwritten by the state." [Just who are these "project bosses", apart from the Ron Brown named later in the story? What their track record? And what history is there, particularly in Australia, of such events not requiring government funding?]

"Rally Australia was staged in Perth from the late 1980s until last year, however, it is believed the event cost the WA Government more than $8 million a year to underwrite.

"It is understood the Beattie Government will not be burdened with the cost of hosting the world rally championship." [So who is going to bear the cost of a WRC round in Queensland, and what evidence is there that they can bear that burden?]

"There is a big push for the Australian F1 Grand Prix to be run under lights so it can be televised at a more user-friendly time back to Europe and cash in on a greater television audience.

"However, transforming the Albert Park layout for night racing would require a substantial cost." [Correct.]

"The Gilberton-Norwell circuit, which will be built by acclaimed German track designer Hermann Tilke, will be wired with the latest in flood-lighting technology from the beginning.

"The company behind the complex says it would welcome any major international events.

"But the project has not been designed to rely on big race meetings for its survival." [So how is this complex meant to be financially viable? Are there enough other motor industry activities to make it profitable? If so, what guarantee does this complex have of enticing such activities?]

"We are not about stealing events from people, however, if the GP people want to talk then we would welcome that," i-METT managing director Ron Brown said. [Mr Brown, don't sit around expecting Bernie Ecclestone to come to you. He's got a queue of people at his door wanting to talk to him every day -- many of them with big fat cheques.]

"The way the motor sport complex is being set up, it doesn't have to rely on government money or big events for sustainability." [What is this magic way?]

"It is a business park where a lot of things will be going on seven days a week, so it's much more than just a motor racing circuit." [Sounds great. What contracts are in place?]

"The land is now used by sugar cane farmers, who the developers have been working with to secure tracts suitable for the project. It is understood that land acquisition is about 90% complete." [So the project is still 10 per cent away from even acquiring the necessary land.]

"Deputy Premier Anna Bligh said the Government was well aware of i-METT's plans.

"The Norwell/Rocky Point canelands area is to be the subject of a land planning review," she said.

"Only after that would that area be considered for any possible change in use." [So "final approval" seems to be a long way off.].

"The review process is expected to start soon but could take a year." [And that year will only start after the acquisition of the rest of the land, won't it?]

"Champ Car would be welcome, however it is difficult to see the Queensland Government or the North American-based series managers wanting to shift the massively successful open-wheeler formula from the streets of Surfers Paradise." [Indeed, it's also difficult to see the Queensland Government being comfortable with the distinct prospect of massive financial losses, either by private interests or Queensland taxpayers, at a venue so close to the Gold Coast Indy. While the Indy race attracts big crowds, close examination of financial details might raise serious questions about whether it can justifiably be called "massively successful".]

"i-METT says the economic benefit of motor sport cannot be ignored.

"The company cites a British Government survey that says motor racing in England accounts for $8.2 billion a year that makes it that country's fifth largest export earner and which is bigger than the agricultural and steel industries combined." [Motor racing is a big business, especially in Britain, but how accurate is this $8.2 billion? What verification is there of it, by i-METT or more qualified experts? And, just because the motor racing industry is of enormous economic benefit in Britain, what is to say that importance translates to Norwell – and on what scale?]

That's our dissection of today's Courier-Mail report.

We're not meaning to be totally negative about this matter. Indeed, we reiterate that new racing circuits are very welcome. Particularly permanent venues, because some others around the country have been lost, others may go in years to come, and there is always the danger that street races will fall over in time, leaving little or nothing permanent.

Our argument is not with the Courier-Mail reporting what it has been told. More a case of querying whether the right questions have been asked.

The Herald Sun report says the proposal "will put pressure on the Bracks (Victorian) Government to hold the Melbourne GP under lights".

For the benefit of anyone who doesn't get the Herald Sun, or hasn't had the opportunity to read it on-line, here's what Walker had to say:

"Nothing is secure in life. If Mr Ecclestone decides that Queensland is a better place to host a F1 race, then that's where it will go.

"But it's a matter for Premier Bracks to talk to Premier Beattie, and I'm sure they'll work out something."

The Reuters story begins: "A new motor racing series combining fast cars and football could bring in extra millions for clubs like AC Milan and Barcelona if it kicks off as planned next year.

"Superleague Formula organisers went public with their plans on Tuesday, proposing an initial six race season from August 2008 with some 20 single-seater cars competing in the colours of leading soccer clubs.

"They aim to expand eventually to a maximum of 17 races, mostly in Europe and at circuits familiar to followers of F1 and MotoGP." [How certain can these "organisers" be of racing on circuits which the international authorities, the FIA and FIM, already sanction GPs at? There may be a chance, but we don't like the chances.]

"Four clubs -- European soccer giants AC Milan, Porto, PSV Eindhoven and Greece's Olympiakos -- have signed up already to a project that offers them revenue through licensing agreements, sponsorship and TV rights." [What proof is there of guaranteed revenues?]

"An average top club could raise between 14 to 18 million euros in the five years of the contract that we are aiming for," Spanish sports marketing specialist Alex Andreu, who has developed the idea with Briton Robin Webb, told Reuters. [Again, what evidence or verifiable research is there for these figures?]

"Superleague said others currently in talks included Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia, Inter Milan, Argentina's Boca Juniors, Brazil's Flamengo, Mexico's America, South Korea's Suwon Bluewings and China's Shanghai Shenhua.

"Manchester United and other British clubs have been approached.

"Turkey's Galatasaray, Germany's Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund, Gothenburg of Sweden, Belgium's Anderlecht, France's Olympique Marseille and Lyon are also on the list of candidates along with Lokomotiv Moscow." [Sounds terrific. Just get an international motor racing series up and running now, while others are struggling massively.]

"We think that by combining these two large sports we could become a real potential big event in the years to come," Andreu said.

"What motor racing brings is obvious; it's technology, cars, noise, glamour. What football brings is the heart, the passion and the emotions." [Yes, and what evidence is there the two sports go together?]

"The idea is to appeal to a younger, crossover audience who can support their clubs in a different way." [Nice idea, but is this just more spin?]

"Milan captain Paolo Maldini gave his blessing: "The idea of uniting football fans' passion with motorsport is a winning combination that will definitely have the following of millions of people worldwide," Superleague organisers quoted him as saying.

"We obviously enjoy the chance to play against our major rivals throughout Europe and I am certain our fans will look forward to seeing the PSV Superleague Formula car race against some of these same teams," added PSV coach Ronald Koeman.

"There is still some way to go before the idea becomes reality, however." [Yes, Ronald, a lot longer than the Le Mans 24-hour!]

"Webb was also a leading light in a similar project, Premier1, which made plans for a debut in 2002 but failed to get to the starting grid. He said that Superleague Formula should not be seen in the same light." [Why, Mr Webb?]

"This is a new product," he (Webb) told Reuters.

"They (Premier1) perhaps didn't understand the base that had to be built, but we have. I think that's fundamentally the difference between why this is going to be successful and that didn't get off the starting blocks.

"In terms of sophistication and reality, this is a different league." [Or just a different league of spin?]

"Andreu and Webb said their main partners were Spanish businessmen, including the son of former International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Juan Antonio Samaranch, and the Havas Media group.' [Well-connected, certainly. But what guarantee of success do these people bring?]

"They expect to make a loss initially, with a profit forecast from year three." [Now haven't we heard some outlandish forecasts from others in the past? If we were to believe what we heard, the A1 GP series should be somewhere near profitable pretty soon, but is it?]

"They plan to use 750bhp Elan/Panoz cars built by Elan Motorsport technologies in the US and with 4.2 litre V12 engines provided by Menard and made at the former Arrows Formula One factory at Leafield in England." [There's a contract for a constructor. And isn't it nice to see that old name Arrows crop up again?]

"All cars will be identical and there will be two races per event weekend, with the grid for the second reversed from the first to liven up the action." [Identical cars, reverse grids … it's starting to sound like a broken record.]

"Organisers say the overall prize purse will be one million euros per weekend and there will also be plenty of off-track entertainment. [The broken record is shattered now!]

"We want to attract families, young people and a female audience, too, and for that you need to have lots of different activities at the circuit," said Andreu.

"We will have an open paddock for all fans, the rear of the garages will be open for viewing by spectators and our teams and drivers will be very focused on providing access to the paying public." [Marvellous ideals, Mr Andreu. All the best with the project. Where will you be in five years if we want to check on your progress?]

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Ed: by the way, if you're a little perplexed by the opening image hereabouts... They're CUCKOO clocks :)...