V8 Supercars chief executive James Warburton says the category will avoid rushing into a decision on whether it will return to Queensland Raceway in 2014.
The Ipswich circuit was one of two rounds listed as ‘to be confirmed’ along with Perth (May 16-18) when the 2014 calendar was released in September.
Warburton and the circuit’s chief executive John Tetley are continuing with dialogue over plans for the Coates Hire Ipswich 400, which is pencilled in from August 1-3.
Talks between the pair are continuing in the wake of the tragedy at the circuit which claimed the life of British Porsche Supercup star Sean Edwards at Turn 6 earlier this month.
Will Holzheimer, who was driving the car in which Edwards was killed, remains in an induced coma after a series of major operations last week.
CAMS officials are preparing to inspect the circuit following the Edwards fatality; the second death at the track this year after a motorcyclist died in June. Both accidents occurred at non-competition ride/instruction days.
“We are keen to go (back) there. We don’t need to be rushed into any form of decision,” Warburton told Speedcafe.com.
Tetley says that he wants V8 Supercars to help his facility gain government assistance in order to upgrade the circuit.
“The government can’t expect me to do that (finance upgrades) because at the end of the day I am only a tenant,” he said.
“I’ve already poured $1.6m in over the last three years so I don’t think there are many tenants who have put that sort of money in for somebody.”
Warburton has stated that V8 Supercars is willing to pledge assistance to Queensland Raceway.
“One of the things I’ve said is that I want to work with a number of circuits,” Warburton said.
“We want to work with circuits and CAMS and talk to governments about infrastructure and development.
“That was a discussion I had with John Tetley well before the tragic situation with Sean Edwards.”
Tetley said his circuit does not want to source a CAMS licence for the V8 Supercars meeting as it has done in previous years.
Queensland Raceway is part of the Australian Auto Sport Alliance which conducts race meetings independently of CAMS.
“I want individual promoters (V8 Supercars) to bring their own licence with them,” Tetley said.
“I made the point to V8 Supercars that they already get track licences for Townsville, Homebush and the Gold Coast so I don’t think it’s too much of an ask to say ‘well can you get the same sort of deal with CAMS for QR’?
“This year we had five days of using a CAMS licence – three days for the V8s and two days for the Shannons Nationals.
“If it’s only going to be five days of CAMS activity why wouldn’t Rob Curkpatrick (Shannons Nationals Series director) and the V8s get their own track licence for that little bit of time?”
In the last week Edwards’ sisters Natasha and Jade flew to Australia where they paid their respects at the accident site at QR.
“It was pretty tearful for everybody,” Tetley said. “We had a service on the spot and they put some flowers on the spot as well.”
A day after his podium finish with Shane van Gisbergen in the opening leg of the Armor All Gold Coast 600, Jeroen Bleekemolen also visited the circuit to pay respects to his good friend before flying back to Europe.
“Before leaving Australia I visited the place where we’ve lost Sean. Hard but good to talk to the people involved,” Bleekemolen wrote on his Twitter account.
The Dutchman had described the closeness of his friendship with Edwards after Saturday’s race.
