Victorian motorsport "faces losing one of its longstanding events with Winton’s place on the Supercars calendar for 2017 and beyond in doubt," according to Rebecca Williams of the HERALD SUN. The deadline "is looming" for Supercars to finalize its championship fixture for next year and the Benalla Auto Club, which owns the Winton Motor Raceway, is "lobbying the Victorian Government in a bid to save the event." The club, which self-promotes the race, cannot "afford the increased appearance fee Supercars was asking for and needs government assistance to keep the race meeting in country Victoria alive." The Victorian government, which recently invested A$1M ($760,000) toward a "resurfacing of the Winton track, has confirmed it is considering a proposal." Benalla Auto Club CEO Chris Lewis-Williams said that he was "still in negotiations with Supercars, but the deal on the table was not financially viable." Lewis-Williams said, "We're not dead in the water, but we are working very hard with the Tourism Minister and Visit Victoria ... we have certainly put up a strong argument that we are worthy" (HERALD SUN, 8/22).
