Adelaide Street Circuit

The Adelaide Street Circuit (also known as the Adelaide Parklands Circuit) is a temporary street circuit in the East Parklands adjacent to the central business district of the city of Adelaide in South Australia.

The track has hosted eleven Formula One Australian Grand Prix events from 1985 to 1995 as well as an American Le Mans Series endurance race on New Year's Eve in 2000 (Race of a Thousand Years) on the long form (3.78 km) of the track. This was the only race of a nine year contract and the last race to be held on the long form of the circuit.

V8 Supercars

Since 1999, the track has hosted an annual V8 Supercar race called the Adelaide 500, currently known as the Clipsal 500 Adelaide, (2x250km) on a shorter (3.22 km) variant of the track. Cars race clockwise around the circuit.

Memorable F1 moments

• 1985: McLaren's three time and defending World Champion Niki Lauda raced his last Grand Prix before retiring, he crashed out of the lead on lap 57 with no brakes. It was the last win for Keke Rosberg driving his last race for Williams-Honda. Ayrton Senna scored the tracks first F1 Pole Position with a time of 1:19.843 in his Lotus-Renault. Only 8 of the 26 starters reached the chequered flag in a race run in 35°C heat.
• 1986: Nigel Mansell's Williams Honda blew a tyre on Brabham straight at over 185mph (298km/h) destroying his world title chance on lap 63. He managed to drive the car to safety and avoid a heavy impact with the wall. One lap earlier defending race winner Keke Rosberg, driving his last GP for Mclaren before retiring, pulled off the track when his left rear tyre delaminated on lap 62. Alain Prost won the title after his first victory in Adelaide becoming the first back-to back F1 World Champion since Australian Jack Brabham had done so in 1959 and 1960.
• 1987: Both qualifying and the race were dominated by just one driver. Ferrari's Gerhard Berger confirmed the Maranello team's revival winning from pole and setting fastest lap after also having won the previous race in Japan from pole. Ayrton Senna finished 2nd on the road in his Lotus Honda but was later disqualified for oversized brake ducts giving Berger's team mate Michele Alboreto 2nd place and Ferrari's first 1-2 since the 1985 Canadian Grand Prix.
• 1988: In a season almost totally dominated by the McLaren Honda's of World Champion elect Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost it was no surprise to see them dominate qualifying with Senna taking his 13th pole of the season. Ferrari's Gerhard Berger threw caution to the wind at the start and charged first passing Senna on lap 5 then taking the lead from Prost on lap 14. He continued to build a lead until taken out by Ligier's Rene Arnoux on lap 25 while lapping the Frenchman. Prost then won an easy race from Senna and outgoing World Champion Nelson Piquet in his Lotus-Honda.
• 1989: The first of two wet races in Adelaide. World Champion elect Alain Prost (McLaren) pulled out after only one lap protesting the conditions. Drivers went off the circuit everywhere leaving only 8 finishers with crashers including World Champions Nelson Piquet who drove his Lotus into the back of Piercarlo Ghinzani's Osella on lap 19 and Ayrton Senna who spectacularly drove his McLaren-Honda into the back of Martin Brundle's Brabham-Judd while some 30 seconds in the lead on lap 13. Television commentator Murray Walker described the vision from the rearward facing camera on Brundle's car as "Senna bearing down on it like Jaws". Thierry Boutsen won his second Grand Prix for Williams-Renault.
• 1990: The 500th World Championship Grand Prix held was again held in oppressive heat. World Champion elect Ayrton Senna again dominated qualifying and won the pole. He then led the race for 61 laps before crashing out when his gearbox failed. Nelson Piquet won his second F1 GP in a row having won the previous race in Japan but the driver of the race was Ferrari's Nigel Mansell who set numerous lap records chasing both Senna and late in the race in his pursuit of his former Williams team mate Piquet only to finish 2nd by 3 seconds after a daring passing move on the last lap at the hairpin at the end of the Brabham Straight just missed taking both cars out.
• 1991: In the shortest race in Formula 1 history, the race was stopped after 14 laps. Race winner Ayrton Senna had waved furiously from his cockpit that the conditions were too wet to race.^[1]
• 1993: Ayrton Senna's 41st and last Grand Prix win in his last race for McLaren and the 62nd pole position of his career. It was also the last of 199 Grands Prix for four time (1985, 1986, 1989 and 1993) World Champion Alain Prost who finished 2nd in his Williams-Renault. Prost's team mate Damon Hill finished 3rd.
• 1994: The World Championship was decided in Adelaide for the second time after Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher collided on lap 35 at turn 6. Both drivers were unable to complete the race and Schumacher won the drivers' championship, with Hill finishing in second place.
• 1995: Mika Häkkinen suffered a tyre failure during free practice at the high speed Brewery Bend between Jones and Brabham Straights. He crashed heavily into the wall and required an emergency tracheotomy, which was performed by the side of the track. Hill won the final Grand Prix held at the circuit, lapping all the finishers by at least two laps.

Circuit

The pit straight is inside the Victoria Park horse racing track. The buildings and grandstands are temporary and removed so that spectators can see the whole horse racetrack during the rest of the year. At the end of the straight, drivers negotiate the Senna Chicane and a left turn to go uphill on a short straight on Wakefield Road to East Terrace. They then have a series of right angle turns along East Terrace. The short form of the track has three of these, followed by another right turn onto Bartels Road back across the parklands. Then the track follows the turn 8 sweeper. This corner was reconfiguered in 2009 and it produced some protests from the many of the teams. The long form continues with another left-right-right to Jones Straight (known as Rundle Road for the rest of the year). Then there is a fast right-hand sweeper (known as Brewery Bend) onto the longest straight, Brabham Straight, on Dequetteville Terrace. The short form of the track rejoins halfway down this straight, so the Bartels Road straight is longest on that layout. In 2007 this was re-named Brock Straight. At the end of Brabham Straight is a right hand hairpin turn (at the Britannia Roundabout) onto Wakefield Road, then a left turn and long sweeping right hand curve back into Victoria Park behind the pit area. The lap concludes with another right-hand hairpin (Racetrack Hairpin) onto the pit straight.

The track is essentially flat except for small valleys as one travels east-west.

When the idea of holding a Grand Prix in the parklands was first raised, there was some opposition from people concerned about environmental damage, as the parks have a number of mature trees with birds and possums living in them. There is no larger wildlife in the parklands, as they are heavily developed. These concerns seem to have been proven unfounded, as spectators often watch magpies and rosellas when there is nothing happening on the track. Indeed, the total road traffic during race weekend is significantly less than there is any other day of the year.

The race meetings have the feature race, but also a number of races for "lesser" categories, making four days of entertainment for the crowds of spectators, without long periods of boredom that could occur if only practice and qualifying for the main event preceded it. Many of the events also have after-race concerts on a stage erected for the purpose on a playing field in the middle of the track.

The stadium section also hosts the Pedal prix and a stage of the Classic Adelaide Rally.

See also

• V8 Supercars
• Formula One
• Australian Grand Prix
• Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit

Lap Records

As of 28 June 2011.^[2] Unless stated otherwise, all records are for the V8 Supercars circuit.

References

External links

• Clipsal 500
• Grandprix.com GP Encyclopedia: Circuits: Adelaide
• Grandprix.com Globetrotter: "Thank You Adelaide"
• Satellite picture by Google Maps