KUALA LUMPUR: Sepang International Circuit (SIC) will be looking to bring back a major car racing championship to their namesake track in the future.
SIC chief executive officer Azhan Shafriman Hanif said the event will "complement" the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia - better known as MotoGP Malaysia - which is currently Sepang's flagship annual event.
"It would be good if we can bring back an international four-wheel (car) event in the future, but I have to rule out Formula One for the moment," said Shafriman recently.
"For Formula One, it would cost too much to host and the queue to get in is too long (because other nations are on the waiting list).
"If we can bring back another signature four-wheel event to complement MotoGP here, that would be great.
"Something like the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) or perhaps another series which can draw the crowd to Sepang.
"Super GT will come back to Sepang next year but it will not be (organised) under us (SIC) directly.
"Nevertheless, we will look at the take-up rate and possibly collaborate with the organisers to try and bring more spectators to the circuit and subsequently more tourism dollars to Malaysia."
Super GT, which last came to Sepang in 2013, will be organised here by Haro Sports and Entertainment Sdn Bhd who have obtained the rights to host the race in Malaysia from 2025-2027.
SIC previously organised the WTCR race here in December 2019, which at the time was part of their efforts to fill the void left by Formula One.
Formula One was previously held at Sepang from 1999-2017.
The decision to stop hosting the race here was due to the high costs to organise the race as well as the championship's dwindling popularity at the time which led to poor spectator turnouts.
Formula One's popularity, however, has improved significantly in recent years thanks to the popular Netflix series Drive to Survive.