Supercars CEO Sean Seamer is adamant that the series will survive the economic impact set to hit the championship amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking on the sport’s current financial situation, Seamer told Australian media that the best solution to limit any economic challenges is to get back racer sooner.
The championship is currently suspended till at least June, but even then, the series may struggle to begin resume racing.
Australia has over 4500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 19 people having died due to the virus. Despite the number of confirmed cases slowing, Australian health authorities have warned of a serious threat the virus poses to the country.
But whereas fellow Australian sporting competitions such as the National Rugby League (NRL) faces severe economic consequences, Seamer is confident that Supercars will survive the financial challenges that arise the current pandemic.
“I think the important distinction that I would make is that we’re a very lean group of people in the first instance,” said Seamer.
“The second point that I would make is that when we’re not racing we’re not incurring any costs. So for us, as a business collectively, what we need to do is navigate the next few months.
“We’re not special, everybody is hurting. But what we’re focusing on right now is what we need to do to keep the sport relevant over the next few months to make sure that we’re satisfying as much of our deliverables as much as possible.
“I can’t speak for ball sports, but the rosters and the amount of people we have is significantly lower. The work that the government around Job Keeper, Job Seeker and GST breaks significantly helps motorsport.”
With the goal to deliver a full 14 round championship still very much the headline of Seamer’s promise, he says the sport is considering alternatives such as TV only events and reformatted race weekends to get the series racing again sooner.
“The big question remains, which is true for us and for every other sport, is when can we go racing again? And from then delivering the championship,” said Seamer.
“For us, we’re talking 14 rounds, not 22, not 30,” he said in relation to other sports. “Not every weekend, not twice a week. So the challenge is different.
“From the conversations I’ve had, the entrepreneurial spirit of the teams and us at Supercars will help us navigate this period.
“It’s not permanent. We will be back.”
