KL City GP organisers have announced a mid-August date for the second running of the event next year, paving the way for a V8 Supercars return.

The Kuala Lumpur street race is set to run on the August 12-14 weekend in 2016, a post on the event’s website confirms.

Organisers GT Global Race had previously stated a preference for an earlier date due to the proximity of Sepang’s Malaysian Formula 1 Grand Prix.

That event, however, is now expected to be shifted from September to a later date in order to avoid detracting from the Formula 1 race in Singapore during the same month.

Although clashing with the Rio Olympics, a mid-August KL City GP date will please V8 Supercars, which is expected to confirm its full calendar in the coming weeks.

The Australian category ran a series of five-car demos at this year’s event after signing a heads of agreement to return with a full championship round for four years from 2016.

Should it be confirmed, the deal will see V8 Supercars become the headline act, undertaking as many as four sprint races around the 3.2km circuit.

Pitstops are thought unlikely to feature in the races due to a lack of garage facilities, which will require the 26 V8 Supercars to be housed in a remote paddock.

GT Global CEO M Arrasu told Speedcafe.com following last month’s inaugural event that the GT City Cup will again be a key part of the race program in 2016, supporting the V8 Supercars.

This year saw a slim field of GTs take to the grid, while the local Formula Masters China and Lamborghini Super Trofeo classes completed the on track line-up.

“The other categories are one-make cars, except for the V8, so GT gives an opportunity for the spectators to see a mixture of cars on the grid,” explained Arrasu.

“We have received a lot of enquires from other categories as well. Now that people have seen it, there is a lot of interest to bring series here, including from the Japanese.

“It’s a balance with track times for the categories and we don’t want to take on too much at once. I don’t think we will go more than four (categories) at this stage.”

Local Audi R8 LMS Cup and Carrera Cup Asia categories were late withdrawals from this year’s event after failing to agree terms with the promoter.

Arrasu had also flagged hope that a Malaysian driver could take part in a V8 Supercars return to the region in a bid to increase local interest in the category.

Although adding a wildcard entry for a local appears unlikely due to the logistics of the event and the tough nature of the circuit, Arrasu stressed the importance of adding a local flavour.

“Local involvement is very, very important,” he said.

“We would like to have a Malaysian driver as part of one of the teams and it’s something that we’re looking at.

“I think it can create more interest for V8s in Malaysia. The local drivers are always important for the audience.”

Alex Yoong, who currently races in the Audi LMS Cup and is a KL City GP ambassador, is the only Malaysian to have raced a V8 Supercar, competing in the 2004 endurance events.

VIDEO: Highlights of this year’s KL City GP