V8SC Team spending capped!

[adrenaline]

Budgets slashed!

LEADING V8 supercar team chiefs are seeking urgent talks with the sport's administrators who yesterday dropped a salary-cap bombshell that would slash the budgets of the top teams by almost 50 per cent next year — and cut again in 2008.

V8 official Kelvin O'Reilly, flanked by cost commissioners Ross Oakley, the former AFL supremo, and former Federal Liberal leader John Hewson, yesterday announced that V8 teams would be allowed to spend a maximum next season of only $6.75 million, including driver salaries.

That is about half of the $12 million a year that the top teams — including Ford Performance Racing, Triple Eight Racing and Walkinshaw Performance — reportedly spend on their two-car race squads.

And O'Reilly, the chairman of Touring Car Entrants Group (which represents the teams), threatened penalties of up to $1 million and the loss of competition points for salary cap infractions if teams tried to make under-the-counter payments or cheat on the new regulations.

An investigations officer will be hired to audit each team at the end of the season. A worst-case penalty could result in a team starting from the back of the grid every round, and starting two laps down at Bathurst.

Team owners, including Roland Dane — who runs the Triple Eight Racing Falcon driven by title contender Craig Lowndes — and Tom Walkinshaw, said they had been told of the changes less than 24 hours before they were announced.

"The devil will be in the detail," Dane said. "I don't know enough of what it really entails to be able to say how it will affect everything. There's not enough meat on the bones."

Walkinshaw is in a difficult position because V8 officials are deciding whether to classify his operation — which prepares cars for both the Toll/HSV team and the Holden Racing Team squad — as a four-car or two-car team.

Walkinshaw was tight-lipped yesterday and said: "I have just been informed of this so we will digest it and work out how to apply within the rules."

O'Reilly said work on the cost containment policy had been going on since January and that all teams had been consulted.

There had been perception in the sport that the costs of competing at the sharp end of the grid had spiralled dramatically in the past decade and that if the sport was to stay competitive, expenditure had to be curbed and the playing field levelled, O'Reilly said.

Oakley said investigations had revealed that the leading teams had budgets four times greater than those with the least cash.

Including driver salaries in the cap will be a contentious point. Driver wages have escalated in recent times.

The big-budget operators can still pay the top men up to $1 million a year — but will have to balance that against their reduced expenditure in other areas.

Oakley said the teams could not be surprised about the announcement.

"The teams are the ones who asked us to implement the TREC (total expenditure cap) due to the spiralling costs of the sport," he said.

Less than seven million?? I am strongly against this, IMO it's holding the top teams back. I know alot of people will see it differently, but I just think the idea of capping spending is going to be irritating (although it may increase competitiveness). I just don't want to see the standard lowered due to limited spending.

I wonder how they will handle Walkingshaw.

[syko]

I don't see the point of capping spending in a sport where there is little change to the cars from one season to the next, except when there is a model change. Cutting the costs in half is too drastic.

[SlickHolden]

Ross ****en Oakley you c**t ****!.. "merge Oakley into outer space"

How many years ago did i say the teams were 1 ??? And no one would listen.. Now they all know everyone is sooking about it. ****en told you all a long time ago.

[fpv_gtho]

I think its good actually. Not that long ago, you could run a competitive team with $4 mill a year. Now, it seems to be triple that. 6.75mill is still pretty generous as well. If it drives guys like Walkinshaw away, its for the good of the sport, not to its detriment.

[charged]

Ross ****en Oakley you c**t ****!.. "merge Oakley into outer space"

How many years ago did i say the teams were 1 ??? And no one would listen.. Now they all know everyone is sooking about it. ****en told you all a long time ago.

What teams were 1 ?, please explain , I think oakley will do a good job just like he did with the AFL, he truley made the AFL a national competition, if he didnt do what he did years ago the VFL would have withered and died.

At the moment the cashed up teams are dominating and the lower level teams cant compete with their budgets, development etc. Wil hopefully get some of the lower teams on a more even playing feild. Even Dick Johnson is struggling financally this year and Im sure he's not the only one.

[fpv_gtho]

Well hopefully the rumours of a 888-DJR tie up are true. Especially now that 888 are on a $20m a year deal with Vodaphone, and only need 6,75 of that to themselves....

[charged]

Hopefully DJR will be rescued by 888, then they will also have a 4 car team, its definetley needed if you cant get race wins but win a championship

[fpv_gtho]

Well it'd be good to be able to see DJR continue on, but bad as it would mean everyone else would have to tie up with someone in order to become competitive. Team Kiwi next year are probably going to be grouped with FPR, but thats only 3 cars, and the 3rd is unlikely to be used as a pawn whenever FPR need extra backup.

[Daz27]

Hmmm, anyone here seeing similarities here with F1? Like Ranault and red bull, Williams and Toyota...

[2ndclasscitizen]

Surely they wouldn't limit Walkinshaw to the same budget as a 2-car operation. Though I think they should definately make sure that the money gets split between the 2 teams, so that they can't share the dosh around if one needs a bit more cash.

Another thought comes up as well, what about teams like SBR, Perkins and HRT, who have engineering entities as well? Will that be included in the budget caps? Because that could really cripple those teams, and in doing so, really f*** all the teams that use their engineering side.

[SlickHolden]

What teams were 1 ?, please explain , I think oakley will do a good job just like he did with the AFL, he truley made the AFL a national competition, if he didnt do what he did years ago the VFL would have withered and died.

At the moment the cashed up teams are dominating and the lower level teams cant compete with their budgets, development etc. Wil hopefully get some of the lower teams on a more even playing feild. Even Dick Johnson is struggling financally this year and Im sure he's not the only one.

Oakley did jack for the AFL he's a lieing c**t

HRT-K-mart racing--now toll. Even toss the pwr team and team brock. They all worked together they just got closer and more public about it over the years.

[charged]

Sorry off topic

Slickholden originally posted
Oakley did jack for the AFL he's a lieing c**t

If Oakley didnt overhaul the AFL the rich teams aka Carlton, Essendon etc would survived and the poorer teams would have suffered and gone bankrupt. He has definetley made it better, tell me how it is now worse ?, it has high attendances, they have just signed a massive TV rights deal, TV viewing rates have never been higher and Ross Oakley instigated all this when he was running the show.

After he left the AFL Ross Oakley was on some off the biggest company boards in Australia and is held in high regard in the corporate sector. I think your taking a very narrow and personal veiw on this one Slick

[fpv_gtho]

Surely they wouldn't limit Walkinshaw to the same budget as a 2-car operation. Though I think they should definately make sure that the money gets split between the 2 teams, so that they can't share the dosh around if one needs a bit more cash.

Another thought comes up as well, what about teams like SBR, Perkins and HRT, who have engineering entities as well? Will that be included in the budget caps? Because that could really cripple those teams, and in doing so, really f*** all the teams that use their engineering side.

I doubt they'll be stuck at 6.75 across both teams, but at the same time i dont think they'll be allowed 13.5 million.

[2ndclasscitizen]

I doubt they'll be stuck at 6.75 across both teams, but at the same time i dont think they'll be allowed 13.5 million.

You're probably right.

[SlickHolden]

Sorry off topic






If Oakley didnt overhaul the AFL the rich teams aka Carlton, Essendon etc would survived and the poorer teams would have suffered and gone bankrupt. He has definetley made it better, tell me how it is now worse ?, it has high attendances, they have just signed a massive TV rights deal, TV viewing rates have never been higher and Ross Oakley instigated all this when he was running the show.

After he left the AFL Ross Oakley was on some off the biggest company boards in Australia and is held in high regard in the corporate sector. I think your taking a very narrow and personal view on this one Slick

Maybe because i know this slim ball a little more then the rest do. And as i see it this bucket of shit still didnt and wouldnt help the lower teams out. There (rich teams) still stronger still more wealthy, He merged a team and wasn't happy he wanted more. He is the most hatted man in Victoria.. You will not find a person here that will tell you he is a straight guy, He cant sleep straight.
When he was in power, My team and others struggled, Today they are much stronger because of the work with the AFL and good club manegment.. It's amazing what working with the AFL does. Oakley didn't want too work with us he wanted too merge us. He pulled our licence in 89 because we didn't merge, But the idiot didn't cover all bases and we found a loop whole, Then and there he had us gone. But lucky peter Gordon of Slater&Gordon was a layer and found it and we took them too court. But we needed a plaintiff and that was iren chatfield.

Tv right are stuffed, He allowed 7 too monopolises the competition. Now they have the last say in everything.. This is the network that is taking the AFL 2 court and starving every AFL team $60,000 per year in legal cost. Now that is something my team can't afford when it's just nudging below even.
I didn't see any AFL hand outs when he was around too teams that were in financial debt.. The rich got rich the poor stayed poor... Fitzroy got merged and he wanted Footscray out!.. Lied and all the scum bag but we took him on and won and he wasn't happy.. And today for the last 5-6 years we have been given help from the AFL. But when he was running the place he didn't care about poor teams if you struggle merge or die!..
And that's where the "UP YOURS OAKLEY" " MERGE OAKLEY INTO OUTER SPACE" Stickers came from.
Channel 9 had plenty too do with the huge TV right today.

You say it's personal i say your right, Because even today he still lies about what he did too my club and other poor teams. You can't trust a man that lies like that. All i'll say is they better have good personal around him too cover up his mistakes and lies.