High-profile motorsport administrator Damien White "has been appointed" to oversee a A$220M ($167M) upgrade of the Ipswich Motorsport Precinct at Willowbank, according to Cameron Atfield of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. White, who resigned as a V8 Supercars director late last year to take up a position at the South Australia Motorsport Park, "was unveiled as the IMP's general manager on Monday." Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale said White's appointment was "a coup" for Ipswich, as he had "the ability to turn fast cars into fast money." Pisasale said, "He's well-known in the V8s, he's well known in the go-karts, he's well known throughout the industry but, more importantly, he was the mastermind behind the viability of V8s." The first stage of the Willowbank upgrade "would include an extension to the main Supercar track," but White said that "it was about more than just the V8s." He said, "Motorsport, as an industry, deserves what we are going to build. It's not about Supercars, it's about the industry as a whole and, as you see on the plans, there are other sports that will be accommodated here; speedway, for example." Down the track, a speedway stadium, a motocross circuit and a three-star hotel "were also on the cards," although Pisasale said there could be more to come. He said, "My understanding is one hotel won't be enough" (SMH, 7/18).
