Amid ongoing efforts to place Supercars on the Singapore Grand Prix undercard, we ask if you would like to see the championship race overseas, in this week’s Pirtek Poll.
Supercars has not raced outside of Australia or New Zealand for the best part of a decade, even if one counts the demonstrations at the first and only KL City GP, in 2015.
If not, then the last such event occurred 10 years ago this month at the Circuit of The Americas, an endeavour which was terminated just one year into a five-year contract.
Prior to that, the category had visited China’s Shanghai International Circuit in 2005, the Bahrain International Circuit from 2006 to 2008 and again in 2010, as well as Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit from 2010 to 2012.
So, we ask you this week, would you like to see Supercars once again venture beyond Australia and New Zealand (‘overseas’, for the purpose of this Pirtek Poll) for an event(s)?
READ MORE: Supercars still chasing Singapore GP deal
Obviously, teams and the championship will be concerned with the financial implications of such an exercise, but that includes how it would be greeting by the existing fanbase, now and in the longer term.
If an event in, say, Singapore, came at the expense of an existing circuit in Australia, then that would presumably be poorly received by most fans, notwithstanding the large expatriate population in the city-state.
However, if Supercars went to Singapore on top of its existing slate of 12 events, would that be a win for fans?
Championship management would have its reasons – they could be counted in dollars – and the event would not necessarily be at the expense of, say, one at Phillip Island because that venue is clearly deemed to not be financially additive at this point in time.
Would holding a 13th event in Bahrain be a win for fans? It is extra racing, but in a timezone which is not friendly to Australian viewers or especially those in New Zealand.
READ MORE: Supercars teams mixed on international events
Singapore, on the other hand, operates to the same timezone as Western Australia, while Thailand, for example, is only an hour further behind those jurisdictions.
Further considerations include the nature of the circuit itself – tracks which are designed for Formula 1 and/or MotoGP do not necessarily make for good Supercars racing, although some are more suited than others – and, if a support category at an F1 Grand Prix, track time.
So, what do you think? Would you like to see Supercars racing overseas again, and if so, under what conditions? (We note that the ‘yes’ options are not mutually exclusive, so select which best suits if you are a supporter of the idea).
Cast your vote below in this week’s Pirtek Poll.
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