Sydney circuit up the Creek, says V8 boss

Sydney's Eastern Creek has become a permanent no-go zone for the V8 Supercars after the sport's angry boss declared they would never race there again.

As the sport continues to push for a street race around Sydney's Olympic Park precinct, V8 Supercars chairman Tony Cochrane struck a big red line and an even bigger boot through Eastern Creek as a future V8 venue.

Eastern Creek Raceway's operators, the Australian Racing Drivers Club (ARDC), said at the weekend V8 racing had not been a financial success in Sydney and had been lobbying for some of the NSW government funding earmarked for the street race to be directed to them.

But Cochrane blamed the ARDC as the event promoter for any failure of the V8s in previous years, and promised a Homebush street race would be a huge success.

"We have no intention of going back to Eastern Creek, irrespective of what happens in Sydney," Cochrane said.

"Eastern Creek's a disaster.

"They got 1,500 corporates (to the race) in a city of five million people. In Darwin, a city of 125,000 this weekend, they've got 6,200 corporates.

"I suggest what the ARDC should start doing is buy a book on how to be a promoter. They've got absolutely no idea."

The NSW government is understood to have given in-principle support to a proposed race at the Olympic Park, though it remains unclear whether the political wheels will turn in time for a race next year.

With Eastern Creek ruled out and Oran Park in Sydney's south-west closing down after this year, should a Sydney street race not eventuate in 2009 there would be a vacancy in next year's 14-round calendar.

A Townsville street race will be held in 2009, replacing one of the events.

Cochrane said a possible Singapore race would not happen before 2010, and that leaves a spot up for grabs.

But the preferred option for 2009 remains Homebush.

If it receives the government green light, V8 Supercars Australia will foot most of the estimated $13 million annual running costs.

"We believe that if we can run a street race around Sydney at Homebush, we can make it financially stack up because we're taking the economic risk," Cochrane said.

"We're the ones writing the cheque out. If it's a loss, it's a loss to V8 Supercars Australia, not the NSW Government."