Overwhelming interest has encouraged organisers to release an extended batch of general admission tickets to next week’s second annual Australian Motor Sport Hall of Fame inductee dinner presented by Speedcafe.com.

Hall of Fame chairman Garry Connelly is expecting many members of the industry and fans in general will make the exclusive dinner part of their Grand Prix weekend experience.

He also believes there is a healthy speculation and conversation in the marketplace about the remaining 19 inductees to be announced at the dinner after touring car legends Mark Skaife and Jim Richards were named in advance back in December.

The Hall of Fame, presented by Speedcafe.com, was launched last year as a fresh and long overdue collaboration between all the major motorsport bodies in Australia.

Next week’s gala event will include FIA President Jean Todt as a special guest.

Last year’s gala was also attended by then reigning Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton and there is speculation of one or two surprise F1 guests at Friday night’s event.

The night will also see the return of many of the inaugural inductees from last year.

“It the quite amazing the amount of people who want to talk about the Hall of Fame and who they think should be on the list,” said Connelly.

“We have been careful to keep our inductee list under wraps and I am sure there will be a few surprises next Friday night, which is again shaping as a terrific event.

“Events like these are about engaging the motorsport community we are all a part of and encouraging conversation and opinions.

“Where else can we get so many of the sport’s greatest contributors in the same place at the same time? The bonus is that fans of the sport can come along and be a part of something really special.”

Speedcafe.com founder, Brett “Crusher” Murray, said that the Hall of Fame event was shaping as one of the highlights on the Australian motorsport calendar.

“Being the presenting partner of the Hall of Fame is just another way for Speedcafe.com to contribute to the motorsport community which we service 24/7,” said Murray.

“Last year’s inaugural event was an enormous success and I am looking forward to the rollout of the 2017 class of inductees next Friday and catching up with lots of friends from the industry and many from last year’s inaugural Hall of Fame list.

“If you are a serious sports fan then I could not think of a better way to treat yourself than buying a ticket to the event, which is subsidised by Speedcafe.com and the other sponsors to make it as cost-effective as possible.”

A strictly limited number of General Admission tickets for the Australian Motor Sport Hall of Fame Induction Gala are now on sale at http://www.cams.com.au/tickets for $295 each (inc gst).

The dinner will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre at 7:30pm for an 8pm start.

A couple of Corporate sponsorship packages and group tables are available by contacting Marie Dinsdale at CAMS on (03) 9593 7769 or [email protected].