The Iran war has plunged the world into fuel crisis with the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf a flashpoint of the conflict, which has choked up transport routes.
As it stands there are question marks over fuel supply in Australia, while prices at the bowser have skyrocketed thanks to the uncertainty.
There are a number of ways the crisis could impact motorsport in Australia, starting with those higher per litre costs and potential rations on availability.
Then there is the flow-on effect to transport and travel costs, while the general cost of living spikes caused by higher fuel prices has the potential to discourage participation in amateur-level events.
Other potential impacts are travel costs for event officials, who are usually volunteers.
A worst case scenario is government intervention in major sporting events seen as a strain on Australia’s existing fuel reserves.
There is currently no evidence that will happen, however the more surface-level impacts of the fuel crisis are well and truly on Motorsport Australia’s radar.
Speaking to Speedcafe, Motorsport Australia CEO Josh Blanskby explained the situation will be ‘closely monitored’ with an eye on upcoming events such as the SpeedSeries opener at Phillip Island this weekend and the Bathurst 6 Hour across the Easter weekend.
“It’s a big issue,” said Blanksby.
“And look, it’s not just the actual motorsport component of it, it’s the freight getting there and that all cost of livings are going up. So we are monitoring that very closely.
“Even for our volunteers and officials who travel to events; all of a sudden their cost of getting to those events has gone up.
“So we are going to monitor the next few weekends of events and see where participant numbers are.
“We have flagged concern about some of the regional-based events. You think about the big off-road events and rally events. I really want to work with those promoters and clubs to make sure that they can find ways to alleviate these costs.
“But look, I think it’s something that’s going to impact all of us in all walks of life, and motorsport will be no different.”
As for Supercars, supply itself is not an immediate danger given the series uses a purpose-made E85 blend that is not commercially available.
The price hike at the bowser is also not a short-term issue given teams don’t use their own transporters during the upcoming New Zealand swing.
Where it could become an issue is if there isn’t price relief on diesel for the mid-year portion of the calendar that includes long-haul trips to the likes of Perth, Darwin and Townsville.
Supercars has released a statement regarding the fuel crisis, assuring that there are no short-term concerns.
“Supercars uses a specialised, purpose-made racing fuel developed exclusively for the championship which ensures events are not reliant on local supply,” it reads.
“For the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship, Supercars has introduced BP Ultimate Supercars Racing Fuel, a 100 percent renewable-based fuel composed of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent bio gasoline derived from waste materials.
“The fuel is not available for public retails and is used exclusively for competition purposes.
“For events held in New Zealand, Supercars transports and manages its own fuel into the country, with the fuel blended in Australia and shipped to New Zealand in sealed drums before being distributed to teams at the circuit.”
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