Creek seeks a GT round

Sydney's Eastern Creek Raceway wants to bring world-class sportscar racing back to Australia after failing to steal the Grand Prix from Albert Park.

The track operator, the Australian Racing Drivers Club, has commissioned a masterplan for its redevelopment by British track designers, Apex.

The masterplan is meant to update the circuit, now in its 18th year, to help attract high-profile international events.

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The FIA GT Championship is run by French promoter Stephane Ratel, who aims to make it a world championship by 2010.

He claims he could “sign with a promoter tomorrow” in Australia and Eastern Creek general manager Geoff Arnold didn't deny it is the ARDC when questioned by carsGuide.

Ratel has always maintained that Australia is a crucial element to his plans to make the GT Championship a true world series.

He was here in 2004 to watch races at Surfers Paradise, Phillip Island, and he visited Bathurst.

But Eastern Creek appears to have moved into pole position to secure an FIA GT round, thanks to its upgrades.

Apex is due to deliver its masterplan to the ARDC by the end of next month and Arnold hopes to have a decision about what changes will be made by the end of the year.

Despite being unable to lure the Grand Prix, and losing the A1GP race and its V8 Supercar round, Arnold says the track will still be upgraded.

“The plan is, and always was, to look at a redevelopment of Eastern Creek because it's 18-years old,” he says. “We need to do something to improve the venue for the next 18 years.”