Gen2 on track
V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton remains confident it will have a new manufacturer competing in the sport in 2017.
Warburton was responding to comments by Lexus Australia that it will not enter V8 Supercars as a competitor "at this stage".
In a statement, Lexus Australia CEO Sean Hanley said it would continue to provide high performance Lexus support vehicles including the RC F V8 Safety Car.
"V8 Supercars remains a strong interest for Lexus and we will keenly watch how the sport evolves with the new regulations," Hanley said.
V8 Supercars released the regulations for the 2017 Gen2 Supercar in July and Warburton said it was confident of a new manufacturer joining the grid.
"Gen2 is about retaining the existing manufacturers as this is critical to the future of the sport. It's also about attracting new manufacturers going forward and we are still confident of having one new manufacturer in the sport in 2017," he said.
"The thing about Gen2 is that by removing the V8 only barrier we are opening up the sport to new exciting possibilities for existing and new manufacturers.
"To compete in V8 Supercars is a significant investment for any manufacturer but we will continue to have ongoing dialogue with potential entrants to gauge their interest in joining the series.
"Lexus is a strong supporter of the sport through the safety car program and we are encouraged by its ongoing interest in V8 Supercars. It's certainly not ruling out a future involvement in the series."
