New international circuit for Avalon?

Linfox, the owner of the Phillip Island grand prix circuit, has commissioned a feasibility study into the prospect of building an international motor racing layout at Avalon, near Geelong (Vic).

Linfox also owns the 4000-acre Avalon site, which currently is an aviation hub to service jets and as a passenger terminal for Jetstar.

But the aerospace concern only uses up a fraction of the land holding, and Linfox has been investigating the viability of building a multi-use motor racing complex in the south-east corner, which would include an international circuit capable of hosting F1 events, as well as national and club-level tracks.

The feasibility study has been conducted by Fergus Cameron, who is the general manager of the Phillip Island circuit.

"We started to get serious about the whole thing at the start of 2008," said Cameron. "Geographically, Avalon is an ideal location with highway access and its close proximity to the Melbourne CBD.

"We have consulted with a lot of different people to get this far, as a project of this magnitude requires dull support from a number of stakeholders, including sporting bodies.

"The other issue to consider is that it's difficult to find a place that has the appropriate planning permits for such an undertaking, so that's another advantage of Avalon.

Linfox estimates it would cost around $200m to build the complex, which would also be made available for things like driver training for young drivers - something which Linfox property boss Andrew Fox is passionate about.

Cameron said the Avalon model is heavily based on the famous Paul Ricard circuit in France, which is also a popular test venue for a number of motor vehicle manufacturers.

Cameron dismissed the idea of Phillip Island becoming an F1 venue.

"People are always asking us about that, but the reality is that Phillip Island is on a plan with all its current events, including historics (both car and bike), the world superbikes, MotoGP and V8 Supercars. That's going well, and to elevate it to an F1 circuit would mean a massive change in design."

Cameron said that Linfox will be "sitting" on the Avalon feasibility study until it's the right time to proceed to a more serious level of consideration.