Motorsport: New CEO for V8 Supercars

SYDNEY - V8 Supercars Australia's search for a new chief executive officer has come to an end with Englishman Martin Whitaker appointed to the position.

Australia's premier motorsport category has been seeking a new CEO since June's resignation by Cameron Levick.

Whitaker, a former director of motorsport at Ford, is currently the boss of the Bahrain International Circuit where the V8 Supercars will race in February.

He will take over in the role from April, with interim chief executive Shane Howard holding the position until then.

V8 Supercars chairman Tony Cochrane, re-elected to the position for a further two years this week to continue his 15-year involvement with the sport, said Whitaker's appointment was an endorsement of the category's standing.

"Enticing someone of Martin's expertise to the CEO position is an outstanding testimony to the size and quality of our business and our sport," Cochrane said on Wednesday.

"The fact that we are so well positioned on the world motorsports stage means that we can now attract and afford the best people as we move forward in our next five-year phase."

Whitaker will move to the V8 Supercars base on the Gold Coast following the Formula One round in Bahrain this year.

- AAP