Supercars/Aus GT takeover stalls amid CAMS approval wait

Plans for Supercars to takeover the management of Australian GT have stalled while it awaits the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) to approve the deal.

An agreement in principle for Supercars to take over the running of the Australian GT was revealed early last month and communicated to competitors via meetings in Melbourne and Brisbane.

Supercars intends to assume the operational commitments of the championship with the category expected to complete a rebrand to SuperGT, to fall under the Supercars’ supports umbrella.

Such an arrangement requires approval from CAMS, who currently holds a Category Management Agreement with Australian GT Championship owner Tony Quinn.

The CAMS board has met to discuss the takeover on two occasions but has so far been unable to approve the deal, claiming it requires more information from Supercars.

Supercars is understood to have delivered further details to CAMS earlier this month, although it appears this has failed to meet the organisation’s demands.

This has left Supercars unable to proceed with its plans to takeover the category, which includes forming the 2018 calendars and a new controlling committee.

Supercars CEO James Warburton and Australian GT owner Quinn are however due to meet today to formalise contracts for the takeover.

Warburton says Supercars is growing impatient by the hold up.

“We have been waiting six weeks and it is unfair on the competitor base and unfair on Tony (Quinn),” Warburton told Speedcafe.com.

“We, that being AGT and Supercars, both believe it is in the best interests of the category.

“I can’t understand why CAMS wouldn’t approve it but at this particular point in time we have no approval.”

CAMS CEO Eugene Arocca has issued a statement to Speedcafe.com reiterating the body still requires information from Supercars and that it will not be pressured into making a rushed decision.

“After a recent request from CAMS, further information was provided about the GT proposal only a fortnight ago,” read a statement from Arocca.

“Since then our board has met to discuss this issue and we have further communicated our requests for information to Supercars and Australian GT Sportscar Pty Ltd.

“Importantly, the full details of the proposed arrangement have not been confirmed or communicated to CAMS.

“We will not be pressured into making a rushed decision to satisfy privately-owned category or event operators, without considering the impact to the motor sport industry more broadly.”