Andrew Barr has an 'open mind' but V8 Supercars' potential return to Canberra must fund itself

Barr is aware of a proposal put forward by a group of mostly Canberra-based entrepreneurs, who have spent the past three years working on a plan to bring Supercars back to the capital.

The group had been engaged in preliminary talks for an event to be held at Exhibition Park - potentially as the 2023 season finale - with a 3.2 kilometre hybrid circuit comprising of streets and tracks.

Barr says the ACT government is not currently considering the proposal but he would be open to a submission that would not come at a cost to the ACT taxpayer.

"The cabinet has an open mind but there is no public funding available for it," Barr said.

MORE SPORT

"So if it can operate and pay its own way then we will entertain a proposal. But if the proposal is that the government spends tens of millions of dollars on the infrastructure... then no we are not interested."

Supercars chief executive Sean Seamer has made it clear he wants to stage an event in ACT after the Canberra 400 was scrapped in 2022.

"It's something that we definitely want to do," Seamer said. "We don't go to the ACT, and that's definitely something on a medium-term horizon for us, and something we're dead keen to do.

"I wasn't around at the time [of the original Canberra 400], but the feedback that I've had is that it was just the wrong time of the year; it was too cold.

"So, I think if we can get the right track, if we can get the right time of year, I'd love to get down there, and I know that sentiment is shared by my team and the race teams as well."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: