PLANS for a Formula One-style street race could still happen in Cheltenham despite bosses considering moving the event elsewhere.
A group of businesses, under the umbrella Cheltenham MotorSports, still want to transform the town centre into a race circuit for high-speed go-karts.
When the move was first put forward in 2010, it was met with excitement by many and an expo took place last year to whet people's appetites further, showcasing a range of low carbon vehicles.
But residents in Imperial Square, which the race track was due to loop around, voiced strong opposition to the idea, claiming the roar of engines would be an unacceptable intrusion into their lives.
Now organisers at Cheltenham MotorSports have announced plans to take their next expo to the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire, in September, as they look at moving the street race away from Cheltenham. But Pete Allison, the man fronting Cheltenham MotorSports, said it did not mean ruling out a street race coming to the town in future.
"We have a business plan to deliver a sustainable street race and we would still like to do it in Cheltenham," he said. "But we need to make sure that any event met the cultural and political agenda here.
"We had an offer from Beaulieu to hold our next expo there and it was too good an opportunity to miss.
"It was always part of our business plan to expand and grow this idea to other towns in the UK."
Mr Allison admitted opposition to the race from residents in the town had been stronger than he had anticipated.
He added: "People are absolutely entitled to their views. We never wanted to force through something that people didn't want.
"This break will perhaps allow people to step back and have a think about it a bit more."
Initially when plans were unveiled, organisers hoped the street race could happen in 2013. That is now impossible as legislation needed for road closures would take around 18 months.
It is estimated it would cost at least £500,000 to hold the event.
