The management team of Silverstone Events, which planned to stage the rally on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast between 22 and 26 July, announced today that a smaller than expected number of registrations had resulted in its cancellation.
Silverstone Events Director David Edwards said it appeared the world financial crisis has taken its toll on motorsport events such as that his company had planned for Queensland.
He said that while the number of enquiries for the second Suncoast Classic was high, those early registrations of interest had since not translated into official entries.
“Unfortunately, we have not received the number of entries we expected by this point,†Mr Edwards said.
“Rather than wait until early 2009 and further inconvenience sponsors, registered participants and other partners such as councils and emergency services, it was regretfully decided to cancel the rally now.
“Contact with our peers around the world suggests they are also in the process of reviewing their scheduled events for 2009 and possibly beyond.â€
Silverstone Events manages the successful Classic Adelaide, which has become one of the world’s great open-road classic events since it was first staged in South Australia in 1997.
The 2009 Suncoast course was to have taken cars and crews over about 1200km of roads through the Sunshine Coast hinterland, with participants returning each evening to the Hyatt Regency at Coolum Beach.
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