Sam Shahin: SA didn’t lose Formula 1, we let it go. But we can take it back

It’s a myth that Victoria stole Formula 1 from SA – we let them take it, writes Sam Shahin. But it doesn’t have to end that way.

South Australia can become the national home of motorsport.

Currently, it is not.

I’ll raise our flag. I’ll shout ‘SA Great’ from the rooftops. I’ll go into battle for anything South Aussie, but the home of motorsport? We’re not. Victoria rightfully owns that crown but it did not happen by chance, nor did it fall into their lap. They strategised, they planned, and they systematically secured a raft of events while simultaneously making it difficult for anyone else to challenge them.

It is common pub talk to hear of SA losing F1 to the Vics in 1996 after a fabulous decade in Adelaide.

SA did not ‘lose’ F1.

SA let F1 go.

We did not fight for it and the Victorian government outsmarted every manoeuvre we came up. I can sadly report that nothing has changed in the past two decades. It is astonishing that SA could have had the orchestra that is F1 back here in 2021 but again dropped the mark.

In 2014 and only a year after we announced The Bend as a project, the Victorian government thought ahead and locked in the MotoGP event for a further decade.

Last month, they did the same again with Formula 1, extending that contract – and their commitment to fund it – until 2035.

Dr Sam Shahin in his garage at The Bend Motor Sport Park in Tailem Bend. Picture: Matt Turner

It costs the Victorian government around $50m to host the event each year, but there is broad consensus that it is money well spent to promote a city and a state on the global stage.

World Superbikes, the road bike equivalent to MotoGP, is similarly locked in until 2027.

What does SA have that Victoria doesn’t? The answer is The Bend: a world-class facility that has already won International Motorsport Facility of the Year, fending off competition from the UK, Germany, Canada and the Czech Republic. No other Australian venue has won that accolade; in fact, no other Australian venue has even been nominated for the honour.

The Victorians have done a remarkable job despite their permanent facilities (of Sandown, Winton and Philip Island) achieving no greater than a Grade 3 standard, well short of what’s required for international events.

South Australia can have it all. We should be bold enough to secure all of those events. And more.

We have procrastinated enough about Formula E. We must secure the event. SA pioneered Formula One into Australia. We should do likewise with Formula E

MotoGP and World Superbikes are ‘gettable events’. We can get ‘em.

Race 1 of the 2021 OTR Supersprint, in the Supercars Championship, at The Bend Motorsport Park. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty

The Motocross Grand Prix is one global event that should, and can find a home in South Australia. We can get it.

The Asian LeMans series will be back in SA. They are contracted back for at least two more years.

In the past five years, the only Australian venue that has held top-level national and international motorbike – and car events – is The Bend.

No other venue has because none provide the facilities to cater for international events of that scale. Philip Island in Victoria holds the MotoGP event because of a long commitment by the Victorian government that wholly subsidises the event. The dissatisfaction with the venue grade and the facilities is a poorly-kept secret among circuit owners.

Motorsport is a big industry that supports many jobs and livelihoods. Independent economic studies have consistently shown that SA punches above its weight in terms of participation at all levels from spectator level to business participation.

Over the next decade, we can collectively plan to establish SA as the epicentre of the motorsport industry. That will need a commitment from regulators, the government, governing bodies, clubs and the wider community. I am ready, willing and able to take the call.