Zoom A new venue for the A1GP series in season five

The merger between Champ Car and IndyCar put the 2008 Surfers Paradise event into doubt, but after some negotiation, a non-championship race went ahead while talks about a new deal continued.

As is often the case with the IndyCar series, scheduling was an important factor and the Australian organisers were unwilling to move from a November date to March.

This morning, A1GP announced a five-year deal to see its Ferrari-powered cars run at the classic venue starting next year.

“We wanted to go back to Australia and this is the ideal venue for our series," stated A1GP Chairman Tony Teixeira. "A lot of people have worked hard on putting this deal together, and now it has come to fruition it is very exciting. I am aware we are being given a perfect opportunity to showcase our series to the Australian fans, who have been great supporters of both the series and their own team."

The first race on the Queensland track, which has hosted 18 CART/Champ Car/IndyCar races since 1991, will be on the weekend of 22-25 October.

The IndyCar series are now looking to add Cleveland or Portland to the schedule as a replacement to the Surfers Paradise event.

E.A. © CAPSIS International