Kuala Lumpur an important boost for V8 Supercars and teams

The deal to conduct a Championship event in Malaysia from 2016 is an important boost for the solidity and global recognition of V8 Supercars says category CEO James Warburton.

A four-year 2016-2019 agreement for V8 Supercars to race on the streets of the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur in the KL City Grand Prix was announced last week.

"This put us back on the map internationally which is exactly where we should be," Warburton told v8supercars.com.au.

Five V8 Supercars will travel to Kuala Lumpur this August to conduct demonstration races at the inaugural 'test bed' event as preparation for 2016, while Warburton has also revealed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with another as yet unnamed Asian venue to stage a championship event from 2017.

Apart from the annual trek to New Zealand, the KL City Grand Prix will be the first time V8 Supercars raced overseas since Texas in 2013. Previous international forays had been to China, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.

The KL Grand Prix will also boost the sport off the track by generating income streams for the sport and the teams through existing sponsors and potential new partnerships.

Warburton said the feedback he was getting since the announcement was that sponsors were enthusiastic about the event, potentially providing a further financial boost to teams.

"A lot of the sponsors are already asking questions, 'can we come, can we take corporate hospitality, tell us about 2016?' So I have only seen bits and pieces but I think it has been very well received," he said.

"It gives us another leg, it gives it something very strong for the teams to sell to both existing sponsors and potentially new sponsors."

Warburton said the category also deserved the higher profile an international event delivered.

"The category is widely followed across the globe and ... without doubt is seen as one of the best series globally; what our drivers do, the quality of drivers, the quality of what they do when they step out of our cars and compete in other international categories."It is known and respected globally. So I think from that perspective it is good to be back in the big international market.

"Asian writers for a lot of the international magazines that came (to the KL City Grand Prix press conference) were blown away when they heard the drivers that were coming. Our drivers are absolute rock stars ... and I know the show we will be putting on will be mind blowing."

The Malaysian deal is the latest step in an overhaul of V8 Supercars undertaken since Warburton signed on two years ago. The most high profile move has been the news six-year Foxtel, FOX SPORTS and Network 10 broadcast deal, but there has also been a restructure of the income split between Archer and the teams and the renewal of several high-profile local events.

And after dropping to 25 cars for the last two seasons, the category is set to expand back a 26-car grid in 2016. In 2017 the category moves to the new Gen2 technical structure, which will allow engines other than V8s and body styles other than four-door sedans.

"We have come a long way," said Warburton. "You arrive to the parity issues; you arrive to manufacturers pulling out of Australia; we were going to lose the Gold Coast event and Sydney wasn't going to be renewed.

"So you work all those things out and then without the TV deal we wouldn't have been able to top up the teams and get to the point where the business is financially sustainable."