It’s more than likely there will be a double-header round of Supercars in New Zealand in the future, perhaps even next year. But where will the second round take place?
It was thought that the second NZ round would head to Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell, but recent comments by Tony Quinn suggest Ruapuna is now top of the list of prospective venues.
As reported by Speed Cafe, the thought is the government is more keen to help with investment in the Christchurch area as the Queenstown region is already well supported by tourists while the loss of the SailGP event also helps Ruapuna’s cause.
Quinn told Speedcafe; “The latest from my side of the table is that the V8s definitely want to do two races in New Zealand. I think that was unanimous in the last meeting that we all had.
“I think the government assistance for the V8s to go to Highlands is a lot less than they’d hoped for. Because, to be honest, that region, Central Otago, has a pretty strong tourism following anyway.
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“I think the other option for them in the South Island is obviously Ruapuna, which isn’t a bad option. [Christchurch] lost the SailGP thing that was there, so they’ve still got a bit of money in the slush fund.”
“There’d be a fair bit of work to do at Ruapuna but I think they would manage to do it.
“And let’s be honest, the V8s race at tracks that are not quite up to full standard anyway. You’ve got Tasmania; Tasmania is fine, but it’s not a Tier 1 track.
“[Ruapuna] may be a financially better option for [Supercars], which is good because it helps the whole business.
“It would be great for them to come to Highlands and I’m sure that all the teams and all the drivers and spectators and everyone would think it was a great thing.
“However I have said consistently that just coming to Highlands just to do another sprint round is probably not quite right. I think it needs to be a wee bit more special than that, a boutique round or something,
“Anyway, it’s up in the air. I think, regardless, New Zealand will benefit.
“And despite what people think, yes it’s good to have the V8s coming to your track. It’s great. But it’s a three-month lead-up to the event, and it’s a month after the event that you’re involved in the whole process.
“From a business, commercial point of view, the amount of hours that are spent on an event, from the track’s perspective, is immense.”
