More than 70,000 Expected at V8 Supercars

BARBAGALLO Raceway takes pole position in Australian motorsport this weekend as the V8 Supercar Australia Championship makes a roaring return to WA.

Organisers say more than 70,000 people are expected to descend on Wanneroo from Friday to Sunday to catch the V8 talents of stars like Craig Lowndes, Mark Winterbottom and WA’s Garth Tander.

V8 Supercar Australia chief executive Martin Whitaker said there was an “awful lot of people” looking forward to the event being back in Perth after a one-year hiatus.

“Many people love being in Western Australia and it’s a race that everyone looks forward to; it’s great to be back on the card,” he said. “One of the criteria we’ve been working to over the last 12 months is to make sure we are back in every state and territory in Australia.

“By being back in Perth we have achieved that objective and that is fundamental to the whole championship.”

This year’s event features one of the strongest support line-ups of the national season with five racing categories complementing the main showdown in a hotted-up Perth schedule.

“It’s the biggest on-track spectacle we have ever seen in Perth,” WA Sporting Car Club event co-ordinator Jennifer Harrison said.

Spectators will be treated to a variety of racing, including the Porsche Carrera Cup after a two-year absence, the Australian Superbike Championship and for the first time in Perth, the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series.

Mr Whitaker said the Fujitsu series featured Australia’s future V8 champions.

“Normally it’s a bit of a long trip for them (the Fujitsu drivers) but I think they recognise the importance of the event so they will be with us,” Mr Whitaker said.

WA Tourism Minister Kim Hames said the event had been heavily promoted locally, nationally and internationally.

“The increased event marketing and the unprecedented number of support categories will ensure the event will be bigger and better than ever before,” he said.

Ford’s Dean Fiore will be one of three WA drivers competing in the main race along with Holden’s Garth Tander and Karl Reindler and said he was hoping for a hometown advantage.

“It’s much trickier than it looks because it has small tight areas, undulations on the hills, and then it opens out across the back so you can get high speeds on a small length circuit,” he said.

“To cap it off, the surface doesn’t offer much grip.”

Fiore said he was looking forward to driving in front of his family.

“I’m looking forward to proving to Mum that professional driving is a proper career – I don’t think she’s convinced,” he said.

Off the track, Mr Whitaker said the WA drivers would keep the interstate competitors entertained.

“We’re all going to go around to Dean Fiore’s house where his Mum can do some traditional Italian cooking,” he said.

Spectators can get their first glimpse of Australia’s best supercar drivers in practice session one on Friday at 9.15am before the main 50-lap races ignite at 2.05pm on Saturday and Sunday.

- Drivers will be available to meet fans from 11.30am to 1.30pm on Thursday, April 28, in Forrest Place.

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Direct China-to-Perth Flights to Lift Travel, Tourism

CHINA'S biggest airline is on the verge of signing a deal to start direct flights to Perth.
The move is tipped to drive down airfares to Asia and bring thousands more tourists to WA, generating millions for the state's coffers.

China Southern Airlines says it is on the cusp of signing a deal with the State Government for flights between Perth and Guangzhou, southern China's biggest city.

It is understood the airline will start with three flights a week before ramping up to daily flights if the route is a success.

Perth is no stranger to the airline, which has based its China Southern West Australian Flying College, one of the biggest pilot training schools in the southern hemisphere, at Jandakot Airport since 1993. The college turns out more than 100 officers a year.

"It's in the works and it's looking likely," airline spokesman Bill Bryant told The Sunday Times. "There's been some extremely positive dialogue between WA and China Southern Airlines."

Mr Bryant said WA was likely to be added to existing routes including Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

The flights from Perth are also tipped to increase competition on airfares to Asia. But the WA economy would be the biggest winner according to tourism authorities.

Tourism Research Australia's latest international visitor survey estimated 12,000 Chinese visitors came to WA in 2010, the fastest growing international market, up 32.1 per cent from 2009.

They spent $80 million in WA in 2010, an increase of 135.3 per cent from $34 million spent in 2009.

Britain and Singapore remain WA's best international markets, with visitors spending $284 million and $226 million last year respectively.

Tourism Minister Kim Hames, who was bullish about China Southern Airlines entering WA when he spoke at a Tourism Council WA function last week, will head to China next month to try to seal the deal.

Tourism WA acting chief executive Stephanie Buckland said the organisation was working in close partnership with Perth airport, while Tourism and Transport Forum national policy director Evan Hall said the value of the deal was incalculable.

But Mr Hall warned work would be required to lift Perth's service levels. Tourism bosses also want changes to migration laws to ensure WA can attract Chinese-speaking workers.

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