Supercars is on course to secure a multi-year deal to race at the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix starting as soon as next season.
Speedcafe has learned that the organisers of the original F1 night race are keen to make Supercars the main daytime attraction at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Crucially, it has emerged that talks with the Singapore GP have been predicated on Supercars being paid to appear as the main support racing show.
Supercars teams support racing at the Singapore GP in September within a few weeks of the Bathurst 1000 if it works financially.
The city-state island nation’s F1 event is prepared to spend around $3 million to attract the Aussie V8 series, funding air freight plus a sanction fee for an international championship round.
Flying the Supercars field in and out – at a cost of about $2 million – would be required to get them back in time to prepare for the Bathurst 1000.
Next year’s Singapore GP will be September 20-22, with Bathurst three weeks later from October 10-13.
Informed senior sources in the Supercars paddock confirm that negotiations with the Singapore GP are serious and aimed at a multi-year deal from 2024.
Supercars is prepared to sacrifice the pre-Bathurst Sandown 500 in its traditional mid-September slot to race alongside F1 in Singapore.
Just restored this year, next year’s 500 was due to celebrate the 60th anniversary of touring car endurance races at Sandown.
But it is now clear Supercars is chasing a deal to become the primary support category at the Singapore GP.
The night race F1 event wants an entertaining and major regional series to perform in the afternoons leading up to nighttime F1 action.
Supercars would fill the big gap in daytime action, previously filled by regional one-marque series.
A Thursday night race under lights for Supercars is a possible precede to F1 action, which doesn’t start until the Friday.
In the overall scheme of event costs, paying Supercars to add daytime entertainment is relatively paltry.
The F1 Singapore GP is a public/private partnership promoting the city-state island as a southeast Asian tourism and financial hub.
It was the first F1 night race, run under lights since 2008.
At least two previous attempts to get Supercars on the Singapore GP support program failed.
But this one, according to Supercars insiders, is poised to succeed.
Amid much scepticism, Supercars owner RACE has been forging an alliance with F1 behind the scenes, starting with the Singapore GP.
RACE kingpin Barclay Nettlefold is driving the renewed look at overseas expansion for Supercars.
He is backed by Monaco-based Walkinshaw Andretti United co-owner Ryan Walkinshaw, who supports overseas races as long as they make financial sense for the teams.
“I’m not going to speculate on which specific circuits potentially are being looked at or events,” Walkinshaw told Speedcafe. “The important thing is that it stacks up financially.
“We’re all pragmatic people in this racing category and as long as something is an additional value added that doesn’t detract from what we’re doing locally, great.
“But it has to stack up financially for the teams and for the sport. I think it would be irrational or illogical not explore it [Singapore GP]. Everyone wins.
“I can’t speak on behalf of the other teams, but from Walkinshaw Andretti United’s perspective, we’re an international team. So, for us in particular, we’d be excited about the opportunity if done the right way to go and race internationally.”
The rationale behind Supercars racing at the Singapore GP is a mutual benefit: crowd-pleasing daytime entertainment for the event and glamorous international exposure for Supercars.
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