BEFORE even officially starting his second stint as Supercars chief, James Warburton made no bones about ambitions to launch a standalone series abroad.
The concept centred around having multiple rounds in Asia and/or the Middle East in an effort to lift Supercars’ global footprint, provide more frequent on-track content and improve its financial position.
Speaking last June, the initial mooted timeline was for a 2027 debut.
The talks have seemingly gotten quieter since, so it’s no surprise that Warburton confirmed to V8 Sleuth that 2027 is now off the table.
“Too ambitious,” he said.
“We’re continuing to chip away in the background but nothing to report at this stage.
“What we have got to be focused on, is we’ve got to make sure Australia is right – and I think we’re very happy with our progress, but we’ve got more to do.”
He added of the international initiative: “We have got to do it properly. You can’t just have a blaze in (half-hearted).”
What about the much-vaunted hunt for a fresh New South Wales street circuit, whereby Wollongong and Central Coast have been highlighted as the top candidates?
“We’re active in discussions and exploring the possibilities, but there’s a lot to it,” said Warburton.
New South Wales’ presence on the Supercars calendar has dropped to two annual events since the demise of Newcastle. Pic: Supplied
“You can’t rush it. You’ve got to make sure that it’s long-term sustainable in terms of the council that wants it, a location that minimises disruption, and we’re working through those.
“But we have a clear stated objective that we want two more street circuits.
“One of course is Perth in the precinct that is going ahead, which again there’s no guarantees although the precinct is ahead so you’d like to argue that that’s looking good, but not til ’28.
“And then we have a great partner in Destination NSW who was disappointed that Newcastle went, so they’re very open to looking at an option which we’re working hard to get in place.”