Velo Adelaide 500

[Hooligan]

Anyone else looking forward to this?

Motley Crue and KISS!!!!! that's worthy of the admission price on it's own but then we are also being graced by some Motorsport royalty...... KEN BLOCK!!!!!!

I'm just a little bit excited.

[Nathan]

I know he's clocked up a fair few hits on YouTube, but is he really considered motorsport royalty when his best finish in WRC is 8th?

[dsriggs]

He's an average driver with a good editor.

[Ho Really]

Ken Block. Maybe a little bit better than average, but not championship material. WRC ain't easy, look at Kimi Raikkonen, being a Finn you'd think he'd have rallying in his blood. Let's hope Ken gives us a good show, but really, how much can he do within the confines of the narrow circuit?

Cheers

[Dvious]

Its what he will do that will show us how good he really is! Im sure we will all be impressed, awesome drawcard for Adelaide.

[Hooligan]

Plus our own Hilltop hoods are preforming! epicness to be had.

[The Scooter Guy]

I'd really like to attend to this years after-race concerts, but there might be strangers out there that do drugs!

[[Shuz]]

I'd really like to attend to this years after-race concerts, but there might be strangers out there that do drugs!

[crawf]

I'd really like to attend to this years after-race concerts, but there might be strangers out there that do drugs!

Another random post from Scooter Guy

[Maximus]

V8 racing not really my cup of tea, but good to see the drivers giving a resounding thumbs-up to the plans for 2014. Also good to see some national exposure in line with my morning TV presenter theory. Mark Beretta was reading the sports news from the launch this morning and seemed to be very much enjoying himself with the grid girls...

V8 drivers give thumbs up to twilight racing

V8 Supercar drivers have given the green light to radical changes at next year's Clipsal 500 which will split Saturday's 250km into two separate races finishing at sunset.

For the first time in the event's 15-year history, the title will be decided by two 125km races on the Saturday followed by the traditional 250km hit-out on the Sunday.

Organisers will on Thursday announce the major shake-up as well as confirming Grammy and ARIA Award-winning artist Keith Urban and Australian sensations Guy Sebastian, Bliss n Eso and Empire of the Sun as their headline concert acts for the February 27 to March 2 event.

continues...

[spiller]

Clipsal was unique in that it was the most grueling event on the calendar for drivers because of the back to back 250km races, but they had to do something as the format was getting tired. This should boost saturday attendances fairly signifcantly. I usually go on the saturday so looking forward to something different.

I do wish for a miracle in the return of Formula 1 or even the World Endurance Championship that we let go after one year.

[ml69]

Just a thought .... And I wouldn't be surprised if there are old posts about this ... but has there been any thought to moving Clipsal 500 to later in the year eg November (when the Grand Prix used to run?). I recall that this used to be an awesome time of the year in Adelaide!

Mad March is overloaded with events, but the period from end of football season (end Sept) to the Cricket test (usually mid Dec) is pretty sparse with sporting events in Adelaide. Melbourne has the spring racing carnival at this time, but Adelaide has ... Well not much. And it's the time that people love coming outside again to enjoy the warmer weather.

Why couldn't you make Mad March the cultural/arty festival period and October or November a Motorsport festival period, by combining Bay to Birdwood, Classic Adelaide Rally, Clipsal 500 and any other motorsport events into a month long celebration?

[Phantom]

Clipsal was unique in that it was the most grueling event on the calendar for drivers because of the back to back 250km races, but they had to do something as the format was getting tired. This should boost saturday attendances fairly signifcantly. I usually go on the saturday so looking forward to something different.

I do wish for a miracle in the return of Formula 1 or even the World Endurance Championship that we let go after one year.

Spiller, I'm a huge Le Mans and WEC fan.

That was sadly indeed the case. It was "The Race of a Thousand Years". ran by the American Le Mans Series, headed by a guy named Don Panoz. Panoz initially had plans to not only run the final of the 2000 American Le Mans Series in Adelaide on December 31st, 2000, but also for the round to then take place in the Asia-Pacific Le Mans Series for (I believe) from 2002 onwards, also penning a contract through to 2005.

The first race went off without a hitch (I still have the VHS recording of this at my Dad's place) and it seemed well on its way to successfully completing Panoz' plan, when the State Government and Panoz came to words (I believe it was about either Panoz' own car company to have it's secondary base in Adelaide, or the "lack" of revenue that the State Government made from this race (even though I believe it was on par to the 11 F1 races between 1985 and 1995).

Anyway, this issue wasn't helped by the fact that the Asia-Pacific Le Mans Series idea died before it could take off and that the title-challenging BMW LMP squad did not choose to take part in Adelaide, due to transport costs, therefore conceding the title. The State Government then attempted to combine the Le Mans race with the Clipsal 500, then abandoned their contract and the last I heard, legal action had taken place.

For a race that took place on December 31, 2000, it was completely dead by the February 28, 2001. Panoz loved Adelaide and the State Government fucked him over. I recall that Panoz was prepared to allow Adelaide to have the race at a discounted rate, as to make sure another city couldn't outbid it at the 11th hour, ala the F1 bid in 1995.

Sad really that this happened to be the case, but the ALMS and WEC won't be returning to Adelaide. We have more chance of the F1, I'd say.

[Nathan]

Wasn't part of the reason for canning it down to a massive campaign in the media saying we should be spending the money on nurses?

[monotonehell]

Just a thought .... And I wouldn't be surprised if there are old posts about this ... but has there been any thought to moving Clipsal 500 to later in the year eg November (when the Grand Prix used to run?). I recall that this used to be an awesome time of the year in Adelaide!

Mad March is overloaded with events, but the period from end of football season (end Sept) to the Cricket test (usually mid Dec) is pretty sparse with sporting events in Adelaide. Melbourne has the spring racing carnival at this time, but Adelaide has ... Well not much. And it's the time that people love coming outside again to enjoy the warmer weather.

Why couldn't you make Mad March the cultural/arty festival period and October or November a Motorsport festival period, by combining Bay to Birdwood, Classic Adelaide Rally, Clipsal 500 and any other motorsport events into a month long celebration?

...and...