The V8 supercars might just have the hype that they need to get international coverage. A grand slam event for V8 will surely make the sport really competitive and exciting. Just recently, the Queensland government in coordination with the V8 Supercars Australia announced that V8 will be their main attraction in the Gold Coast Event. The Gold Coast faces a major face-lift and becomes the third leg of V8’s own grand slam. The V8 grand slam includes the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, the Bathurst 1000 and the end of season Sydney 500 in Homebush.
V8 Supercar driver Garth Tander believes that the sport can really benefit in terms of gaining worldwide attention. He also added that V8 might have the potential to be promoted outside Australia and gain a foothold in foreign market. However, this could easily happen when someone bags the $2.5 million prize money enduring up to the last event of the year. Tander claims that it is not the prize that highly motivates him. He added that it is not really good for drivers to think of the prize probably because it may be counter-productive, adding pressure and distraction when they should be just focused on the road. However, having someone win the prize at the last race of the grand slam may be very thrilling not only to V8 enthusiasts but also to the general public.
The details of the Gold Coast are still being finalized. For sure the `Carnivale’ will showcase 300 km races, having drivers team up in pairs similar to the practice at Bathhurst and Philip Island. This event is said to be well-timed as the final leg to an “enduro” race, as Tander puts it. It is an enduro race because it is just after the Philip Island and Bathhurst races. It being an endurance race will also fulfill the purpose of the Queensland government to hold an international event at Gold Coast. There will be international drivers who will be participating as co-drivers. Some of the well-known drivers are David Brabham (winner of Le Mans in Australia), Scott Pruett (winner of Gold Coast Indy race), Mark Blundell of England and Christian Fittipaldi of Brazil.
For sure, the Gold Coast event will be Queensland’s pride and an exciting occasion that many Australians will look forward to seeing. It will showcase the V8 Supercars as worthy of international recognition.
