Adelaide 500
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| Venue | Adelaide Street Circuit |
| Race Format | |
| Race 1 | |
| - Laps | 78 |
| - Distance | 250 km |
| Race 2 | |
| - Laps | 78 |
| - Distance | 250 km |
| Last Race (2008) | |
| Winning Driver | Jamie Whincup |
| Winning Team | Team Vodafone |
| Winning Manufacturer | Ford |
The Clipsal 500 is an annual racing carnival for Touring Cars held in the east end of Adelaide on a shortened form of the Adelaide Street Circuit, the former Australian Grand Prix track. The event is named for naming rights sponsor Clipsal Electronics.
Usually held over four days in early March, the main event is the 500 km V8 Supercar race split over the last two days of the event. The format of this two race event is unique in V8 Supercars, in that the winner of the second race is declared the winner of the Clipsal 500 Adelaide, regardless of whether they scored the most points for the championship. The rest of the four days are filled with practice, qualifying, and support races for a number of other racing categories, including production cars and Australian Formula 3.
The Clipsal 500 Adelaide was attended by a massive 291,400 in 2008.[1] The largest crowd for a domestic motorsport event in Australia.[2][3] It is almost normal for the current event to set a new attendance record over the previous year. The event also features a concert every night, air displays, amusements and social attractions that bring in spectators from Adelaide, interstate and overseas.
The event won best event of the series every year from 1999 to 2004. In 2005 it was inducted into the V8 Supercars Australia Hall of Fame[2], the first time an individual event has been inducted.
The Clipsal 500 Adelaide has been recognised on three occasions as the winner of the ‘Major Festivals & Events’ category at the Australian Tourism Awards (2003/04, 2005 and 2007), demonstrating the event is more than a motor race, comparing with the best the country has to offer in the fields of the arts, sports, or once-off spectaculars.[2]
Contents |
[edit] History
The Adelaide Street Circuit was used for Formula One races from 1985 to 1995. On 1 September 1998, the Government of South Australia announced the conclusion of successful negotiations with the Australian Vee Eight Supercar Company (AVESCO) for the staging of a V8 Supercar race to be known as the Sensational Adelaide 500 on a shortened version of the Grand Prix track. The initial contract was for a period of five years with an option for a further five years. [4]
The 1999 event saw Craig Lowndes win the Saturday race, only to be disqualified due to his involvement in an accident and made to start from the back of the grid for race two on the Sunday. Craig Lowndes passed every car in the field to also win race two and become the first winner of the Adelaide 500. Lowndes' disqualification from race one was later overturned. [5]
After the conclusion of the 1999 race, Clipsal were announced as the event's major sponsor and it became known as the Clipsal 500 Adelaide.
From 2000 to 2003 the Adelaide 500 was dominated by Holden teams, with three wins to Mark Skaife and one to Jason Bright. It wasn't until 2004 that a Ford driver won the event, with Marcos Ambrose successful that year. Marcos Ambrose won again in 2005 and Jamie Whincup was the winner in 2006. In 2007, Rick Kelly won the Adelaide 500. And in 2008 the winner was Jamie Whincup again.
[edit] Winners
| Year | Driver | Manufacturer | Model | report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Craig Lowndes | Holden | Commodore VT | |
| 2000 | Garth Tander# | Holden | Commodore VT | |
| 2001 | Jason Bright | Holden | Commodore VX | |
| 2002 | Mark Skaife | Holden | Commodore VX | |
| 2003 | Mark Skaife | Holden | Commodore VY | |
| 2004 | Marcos Ambrose | Ford | Falcon BA | |
| 2005 | Marcos Ambrose | Ford | Falcon BA | |
| 2006 | Jamie Whincup | Ford | Falcon BA | report |
| 2007 | Todd Kelly# | Holden | Commodore VE | report |
| 2008 | Jamie Whincup | Ford | Falcon BF | report |
- # Previously the acknowledged 2000 round winner was Garth Tander however in early 2008, the results were changed and the winner of Race 2, Mark Skaife was re-awarded the round win, reflecting the trophy presentation which only acknowledge the results of race 2. Similarly the 2007 race was re-awarded from Todd Kelly to his brother Rick, although there is confusion of whether V8 Supercar has the authority to change race results. Now the rules have been changed and Race 1 results no longer count towards Adelaide 500 results.
[edit] Deaths
On Saturday 23rd February 2008 during the Fujitsu V8 Supercars Series support race, driver Ashley Cooper crashed at turn 8 at around 200kph. After clipping the inside wall, Cooper's car was thrown sideways into the wall ensuring a very hard side on impact. He was given a trackside tracheotomy and taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital but died at 1pm on Monday 25th February. His was the first death at the track that has held eleven Grands Prix, a Le Mans Series sports car race and 10 of the Clipsal 500 events[6].
[edit] References
- ^ South Australia - Clipsal 500 Adelaide
- ^ a b c [Clipsal 500 Adelaide named as nation's best major festival or event for third time]
- ^ [Clipsal 500 Adelaide named as nation's best festival or event]
- ^ Parliament of South Australia - House of Assembly Hansard, 4 November 1998
- ^ Legendry Lowndes Blitzes Adelaide 500
- ^ V8 Supercar driver Ashley Cooper dies after Clipsal 500 crash
[edit] External links
