IndyCar President Jay Frye said that officials have "held 'exploratory' discussions about staging a race in Sydney," according to van Leeuwen & Malsher of AUTOSPORT. IndyCar has "made no secret of its ongoing desire to return to Australia," with talks of a "revived Gold Coast Indy event stretching back several years." The Queensland government has "shown genuine interest in bringing the series back" to Surfers Paradise for the first time since '08, but a "resolution on a date has been a stumbling block." IndyCar has "made it clear it wants to race in Australia in February." IndyCar execs have "begun assessing the potential for a race at Sydney Motorsport Park, preferably on a double bill with Supercars." Frye confirmed that a Sydney race is "on the radar, but stressed that an Australian media report detailing 'serious discussions' with local officials is wide of the mark." Supercars has "already made it clear that it would prefer to work with IndyCar on an Aussie event rather than there be a standalone Indy race." Supercars CEO Sean Seamer confirmed that "nothing will happen" until '21 "at the earliest" (AUTOSPORT.com, 11/7).
