An IndyCar race in February in Surfers has real challenges

Former CART IndyCar circuit

Short Surfers Supercars circuit

There are many negatives standing in the way of IndyCar racing in Surfers Paradise in February:

1. Supercars owns the infrastructure that creates the circuit, including crash barriers and the temporary pit complex. Operationally, the Supercars team builds the track. Supercars would have to move their October date in Surfers to February, which they prefer NOT to do for MANY reasons, but they are open to the possibility.
2. February is pretty hot and wet on the Gold Coast. Moving to the early part of the year brings a much higher chance of rain during the tropical summer months. Ever see a wet IndyCar race on the streets of Surfers? We have. It's a crashfest disaster.
3. It would also require the circuit being built in January, which is the peak school holidays period for the popular holiday hotspot.
4. Another issue is the configuration of the track, with the old Indy layout (2.78-miles) having been shortened to 1.85-miles during the Supercars era, and the city's new light rail system making a return to the original layout problematic. The current track is too short – i.e. Mickey Mouse for IndyCars. The track would need to be changed in order to add more passing opportunities for them, but it's not entirely unfeasible to do it. It's just a question of time and money
5. Cost – a race title sponsor needs to be found. Flying all the cars, equipment and personnel to Australia is very expensive. CART used to do it with two fully loaded Boeing 747 freighters
6. Solution: It would be spectacular if they could light the circuit and run the race on a Sunday night in Surfers, which would be early Sunday morning in the USA. It would be cooler for the fans, it would look spectacular (recall the fighter jet fuel dump runs over the city at night) and the USA fans could get up early Sunday morning (8:00 AM ET) to see the race live on TV. A better date for a night race would be the first Sunday night in May. The weather is perfect and the first Monday of May is a holiday in Surfers – think all night party Sunday night before and after the race. This might mean dumping the poorly attended Grand Prix of Indianapolis the 2nd weekend in May but we doubt anyone would miss it.