V8 Supercars and the mayor of Geelong have thrown their support behind a plan to hold a street race in the Victorian city.
Discussions between the parties and a third-party promoter that could see an event up and running by 2016 have been revealed by Fairfax Media.
A report confirms that talks began late last year, although both V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton and colourful Geelong mayor Darryn Lyons have stressed that the project remains in its infancy.
‘I'm very keen, absolutely,'' Lyons told Fairfax.
‘‘Very excited. I'm a bit of a car nut, so I'd love something like that. Major events are a really big thing for me. We have to bring great events here to attract people to this great city.''
The news follows V8 Supercars' declaration in March that it has signed Memorandums of Understanding with four circuit projects.
They are known to include proposed permanent motorsport complexes in Tailem Bend, South Australia, and in Toowoomba, Queensland.
Warburton however downplayed the short-term potential of the Geelong efforts.
‘It's been mooted, but street races are expensive beasts,'' he told Fairfax.
‘‘It's absolutely something we'd support 100 per cent, but the likelihood of that getting up is – in my view, in the short term – probably unlikely.''
The talks come 30 years after a similar push for a Geelong street meeting that was to feature a 500km touring car race.
The plan eventually fell over due to a lack of funding.