Q: What about the claims that you demanded reduced costs for the tracks?

Wedlock: Our request was that we were seeking to have costs for both tracks AND racers to be reduced, and we asked that ANDRA conduct a full review with a view to ensuring reduced costs across the board.

Q: Did the tracks threaten to move to the IHRA?

Wedlock: While ANDRA would like the racers to believe it was threatened, that has never been the case.

Like any business, our responsibility is to ensure our tracks are operating efficiently and profitably, with profits reinvested back into the venues for the future strength of the sport.

To ensure the development of the venues in recent times we have explored a number of options for both sanctioning and insurance.

We only went looking at the options with the IHRA and other local and offshore sanctioning bodies after we believed we had no other alternative.

We held meetings with the IHRA and had the IHRA inspect and sign off on all our facilities. They provide similar services at significantly reduced costs.

But collectively the three tracks have over 50 years of investment in ANDRA and our intention has always been to work through and resolve our issues, and attempt to find some common ground.

Q: Do you refuse mediation?

Wedlock: No, we were offered mediation and accepted provided our main points, all areas critical to the sport's best interest, were agreed in principal. Those main points were dismissed out of hand, so from then on mediation is pointless.

Q: What is the issue with the television coverage, ANDRA claimed it attracts 340,000 viewers per show on SBS?

Wedlock: Those numbers are far from correct.

In fact, according to official Oz-TAM ratings, this week's Speedweek program on SBS featuring Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle from the Fuchs Winternationals attracted just 39,000 viewers across the five capital cities.

With regional numbers added, its viewership would top out at around 50,000 – one-sixth of ANDRA's claimed numbers.

The previous two episodes officially attracted 45,000 and 29,000 viewers across the five capital cities, again, all a long, long way from ANDRA's claimed numbers.

Our issue with the TV deal extends to the coverage being shown on SBS, a channel not in front of viewers' minds. Our sport is buried in the Speedweek program, the program is not drag racing specific, nor does it show up on TV guides as drag racing, and the program itself is poorly branded and packaged.

We do not believe it represents the best option for the sport and, quite frankly, the sport deserves better.