KEY POINTS:
New Zealand motorsport fans will know by the end of February whether the A1GP roadshow will return to these shores next season.
Taupo's future is in serious doubt with the construction of a new circuit at Hampton Downs north of Hamilton but there are no guarantees the World Cup of Motorsport will even return to New Zealand in 2010.
New Zealand loses significant amounts of money for A1GP, not least of all because of the costs of shipping 22 cars from one event to the next, and chief executive Pete da Silva said money was a major consideration when choosing venues.
But the addition of Surfers Paradise to the calendar for the next five years could be New Zealand's saviour.
"I have made it clear as CEO that one thing I need to fix, and we have made very big inroads, is that every event should make a return," said da Silva, who checked out the Hampton Downs circuit on his way from Auckland to Taupo. "We can't go to a destination and lose money.
"On that basis, I think Surfers is a positive for New Zealand because we are there and the next logical step would be to go from Surfers to New Zealand.
"But we will need to engage with [Team New Zealand owner] Colin Giltrap, the New Zealand Government and potential promoters to see if they see the value of A1GP. I would love nothing more than to come back to New Zealand in season five.
"We will decide next season's calendar before the end of February. We have to discuss with all the teams the final draft calendar. We are in the third version of that now and the next two weeks is going to be crucial in finalising the destination countries we visit next season."
Should New Zealand be retained, the event is likely to shift to November to piggyback the one in Surfers Paradise in October.
