THE V8 Supercars are on a collision course with the AFL – next year’s Bathurst 1000 and the AFL grand final are poised to be held on the same weekend.
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The AFL will start late next year due to the cricket World Cup, which will be using venues such as the MCG.
It means the 2015 grand final could be played on October 10, the same weekend V8 Supercars has pencilled in for its marquee 1000-kilometre classic at Mount Panorama.
If a clash does occur, it would be the first time since 1995 that both events have been held on the same weekend.
V8 Supercars chief executive James Warburton is hoping to discuss the matter with AFL executives with the aim of finding a compromise solution.
Warburton says with several events contractually locked in at the back end of the year, it is tough to find space to move the Bathurst 1000 to a new date.
“Obviously we’ve got the Gold Coast weekend, which is pretty set there at the last weekend of October,” Warburton told Speedcafe.com.
“Sydney is set at the first weekend of December, which we would love to be the last weekend of November, but we are pretty set at the moment.
“There’s not a lot of flexibility in terms of where things jam up.”
V8 Supercars has traditionally tried to keep the Bathurst 1000 away from conflicting dates with either the NRL or AFL grand finals to maximise exposure.
V8 Supercars is hoping to release a draft 2015 calendar in September.
