V8 Supercars took the first step towards its goal of establishing two sustainable events in Asia with a demonstration run at the KL City GP over the weekend.
Event organisers and V8 Supercars both declared the experiment a success after the five-car demos proved a highlight of the on-track action in a still developing motorsport market.
Both parties will now work to bed down a four-year deal for the V8 Supercars to return with a full field for a championship event, which will headline future KL GPs.
The category is also working hard on getting a second Asian event up and running by 2017 as part of its push into the market, which is being lauded for its corporate potential.
A previously announced memorandum of understanding for a second race is dependent on a yet-to-be-commenced new circuit project getting off the ground and appears far from certain to eventuate.
V8 Supercars’ enthusiasm for Asia has therefore seen it appoint an international representative, Rainer Buchmann, to push its product in the region.
The Singapore-based German brokered the deal between the category and KL GP promoter GT Global Race and is now being looked upon to deliver further opportunities for the championship.
Although hardly a high profile player in Asian motorsport, Rainer’s previous dealings in the region includes work with circuit design firms Tilke and Apex, the latter of which provided initial design work for the KL GP.
While Asia’s proximity, timezone and corporate relevance ensures it is a better fit for V8 Supercars than earlier overseas ventures in the Middle East and the USA, the short-term nature of the previous expansion attempts leaves lingering question marks over the latest push.
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