2011 Australian Grand Prix at risk in row

2011 F1 calendar

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Ron Walker, Mark Webber, Abu Dhabi, 2010

The 2011 Australian Grand Prix is at risk as the event’s promoters and the race organisers have failed to resolve a dispute.

The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport, who have run every world championship Australian Grand Prix, and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation who promote the race, have been unable to a agree a deal for CAMS to organise the race from 2011 and on. The current deal expired in April this year.

CAMS and AGPC’s chief executive agreed a deal in August, but it was rejected by the AGPC board. They have until November 19th to reach an agreement.

Race promoter Ron Walker is in Abu Dhabi this weekend for meetings with Bernie Ecclestone. In the meantime CAMS have issued the following statement to explain their position:

CAMS says safety is the number one priority for Grand Prix

The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) has been the organiser of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix since 1985 in Adelaide and since 1996 at Albert Park in Melbourne.

CAMS has noted recent media reports in relation to the 2011 Australian Formula One Grand Prix which contain serious factual inaccuracies, which it wishes to correct.

CAMS’ annual fee to organise the Australian Formula One Grand Prix is substantially less than the AUD$800,000 or £500,000 stated in some reports, being less than AUD$500,000, plus GST and some corporate hospitality and associated contra benefits provided at minimal cost to the current promoter of the event.

The FIA Formula One World Championship is owned by the Federation Internationale de L’Automobile (FIA). The FIA operates through its various National Sporting Associations ( ASN ) which it requires to enter into an agreement for the conduct of each Grand Prix.

The current Promoter, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) is a Victorian Government statutory corporation under the direction and control of the Victorian Minister for Tourism and Major Events.

CAMS is a not-for-profit confederation with over 50,000 members in Australia and over 10,000 members in Victoria.

CAMS has in recent years made a very small surplus, all of which is reinvested in the grass roots of motor sport in Victoria and Australia, through programs such as CAMS Ignition schools program, the CAMS Rising Star program, the Australian Institute for Motor Sport Safety and the Australian Motor Sport Foundation, as well as the services that CAMS provides to its members.

As the FIA endorsed National Sporting Association (ASN) and Australian Commonwealth Government recognised peak National Sporting Organisation (NSO) only CAMS has the experience, people and processes to safely organise the Australian Formula One Grand Prix.

This is an issue about safety and not fees and we do not believe the Australian Formula One Grand Prix can be run safely without the high degree of professional and safety expertise that CAMS can deliver.

CAMS is globally recognised as the organiser of Grand Prix with the highest standards of safety and efficiency. For this reason CAMS has been requested to and has provided extensive assistance to the Organisers of the Singapore, Bahrain and Korean Grand Prix in recent years. In October 2010, 120 of CAMS staff and officials travelled to Korea and were instrumental in the successful staging of the inaugural Korean Grand Prix.

Since the expiry of the previous agreement in April 2010, CAMS has been in discussions with AGPC for the terms of a new Agreement between the organisations under which CAMS will organise the 2011 and subsequent Australian Grand Prix.

CAMS is acutely conscious of the need to reign in spending on Formula One events, particularly events such as the Australian Grand Prix where any shortfall in direct operating costs are met by the taxpayer. CAMS firmly believes that the benefits to the Victorian and Australian economies and communities as a whole greatly exceed these shortfalls in operating costs.

In August 2010 after months of negotiation CAMS and AGPC’s Chief Executives reached agreement on a proposal which was put to AGPC’s Board. However that proposal was rejected by AGPC’s Board.

Since that time AGPC’s Board has refused to negotiate further with CAMS and has summarily rejected two revised proposals put to it, despite CAMS and the FIA making it clear that the consequences of failing to appoint an organiser by 19 November will be that the 2011 Australian Grand Prix does not take place. The Victorian Government has been kept informed of developments.

CAMS and the FIA have also received the advice of Senior Counsel that their actions in putting a fair proposal to the AGPC in no way contravene Australian competition law or are in any way inappropriate.

To put the current dispute in context, the cost to AGPC of CAMS’ services is less than 0.625% of the AGPC’s annual budget and the difference between CAMS and AGPC is less than 0.1% of AGPC’s annual budget.

CAMS, as a not-for-profit membership based organisation, cannot and will not use its members funds to subsidise the Victorian Government’s operating costs to stage the Australian Formula One Grand Prix.

The FIA requires that a Grand Prix may only be organised in Australia if CAMS is prepared to sign an Organisation Agreement with the FIA. At CAMS request the FIA has extended the deadline for CAMS to confirm it will sign such an agreement until November 19. Under FIA rules, without CAMS agreement as ASN, the AGP will not be conducted.

Read more: 2011 F1 calendar

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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27 comments on “2011 Australian Grand Prix at risk in row”

  1. This is spectacularly bad news.

    1. Same.
      One of the tracks that provide best racing.

      1. Agree like Brazil & Spa this track never lets us down sad to hear that it is having such a trouble.

        But I have heard that Qantas renews Australian Grand Prix Sponsorship contract with the organizer for 2011 hope that cut down some trouble.

  2. That will be a terrible shame to lose the Australian GP. It is one of the few tracks that can produce exicting races in the dry, and is my favourite GP!

    1. And I was planning for next year to be my first ever GP :(…

      If this doesn’t get resolved, I’ll be bitterly disappointed…. and unlikely to vote for the current government in the upcoming state election.

      1. Absolutely the same, had a group of my Year 12 mates to go, but I would think that it would get resolved. What Burnie wants, Burnie gets.

        Well not totally the same as I’ll be 2 weeks short of being able to vote.

        1. @ Mike & Stretch

          The GP will go forward I think after Qantas renews Australian Grand Prix Sponsorship, all the best for the trip.

      2. and unlikely to vote for the current government in the upcoming state election.

        My thoughts exactly.

  3. I don’t think it will happen. Losing the Grand Prix, I mean. CAMS and the AGPC might butt heads on occasion, but they can usually settle their differences.

    1. Agree, this sounds more like taking some money based arguments to the edge. Bernie is involved, the FIA is involved, and the Australian Promotor is involved. They will sort it out some way, Bernie and Jean would be stupid to not bring along some agreement on this soon.

      1. Especially with the prospect of an Australian World Champion.

        1. Considering the headlining article on F1.com currently is the announcement of Qantas as the main sponsor for the 2011 AGP, I too think this will be sorted out by the deadline.

  4. I support CAMS and there argument, the government have to and will work this out. It’s a shame that politics are involved, the Victorian government benefits greatly from tourism and promotion from this event, unfortunately there is always a minority that protest this event, therefore the government is scared to commit. As a spectator at nearly every Melbourne Gp, it’s always the highlight of the year and with Mark Webber generating a bigger following in his home land it would be ludicrous not to hold the event.

  5. they’ll sort it out.. it’s CAMS’s flagship race as well, they’ll be silly to lose it over something small

  6. HounslowBusGarage
    12th November 2010, 11:29

    Not sure about the AGPC side of the argument; they’re trying to drive down the CAMS fee, are they?
    Are they also trying to reduce the non-CAMS costs of marshalling and safety facilities – or have I misunderstood CAMS point about safety?

  7. Give it back to Adelaide… finally ;)

    1. Tea Tree Gully represent!

    2. Definitely!
      The cars have changed a bit, but the Adelaide street circuit dropped little brown nuggets all over Albert Park, and I reckon it might yet.

  8. Loosing the Australian GP would be horrible, i hope it won’t go…

    1. Australia reminds me start of season. But buisness is buisness. hope they will find some help

  9. that’s terrible! :(

    the Australian GP is one of the best GPs of the year! It’d be such a shame to miss it :(!

  10. It will be resolved. If worst comes to worst, the Victorian Government will do what they always do – just pass some new legislation. In the end no one will win, and Victoria moves one more step to becoming a police State.

  11. The home race of a potential champion is to be scrapped!!

    Never heard that one before :/
    Silverstone was to be replaced by Donnigton Park, but there was almost not a grand prix for the ( then probable) champion Jenson Button to come home to in 2010.

    They are using it as a bargaining tool in order to claw as muchmoney from potential Mark Mania!! as they can.

  12. I will be a shame to loose Australia but the statement doesn’t sound true. It says safety not money but all the talk is of revenue.

    Hmmnnn.

    dave

  13. Better watch out Melbourne. With the need to lighten the load of venues in the future this sort of situation could become a problem. Ask Tony George….

  14. They’ll sort it out, not going to let a couple of hundred thousand get in the way, Bernie could pull that out of his back pocket.

    Anyways, I just bought my ticket a couple of weeks ago, they can’t can it now :P

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