ADELAIDE 500 DONE AND DUSTED

Adelaide 500 done and dusted – Photo: InSyde Media

The Adelaide 500 is no more, Auto Action understands that the traditional season-opening Supercars Championship event ran for the final time at Victoria Park earlier this year.

By DAN McCARTHY

Nine News in Adelaide has reported that the Adelaide 500 has not only been cancelled for 2021 but also beyond that.

Several weeks ago, it was announced that the 2021 edition of the Adelaide 500 had been postponed due to the global pandemic and would not host the season opening event of the Supercars Championship for the first time since 2011.

However, it was understood that the legendary Australian event would remain on the schedule, likely as the season finale in November or December.

It is understood that the event will not take place in 2021 at all as the state government is unwilling to sign on to support the event for next year and beyond.

The South Australian venue Victoria Park has held racing for over thirty-five years, hosting the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix from 1985-1995 and the Supercars Championship from 1999 until now.

In recent years the Adelaide 500 event has seen a dramatic decline in attendance figures.

For many years, the event attracted around 300,000 people through the gates over the four days, but in March of this year only just over 200,000 people attended the event, the lowest number since 2003.

South Australian Tourism Commission chief executive Rodney Harrex later confirmed the reports that the event would not return.

“South Australia is one of the premier event locations in the nation and globe, and we will continue to invest in a range of sporting, cultural and arts events to stimulate the visitor economy,” said Harrex.

“Due to the high level of uncertainty around the ability of the event to proceed in 2021, the likely impact on the event for both the consumer and commercial market, and the long-term decline in the core motorsport fan, a decision has been made that it will not be possible to hold the race next year, and to not seek a contract for future years.

“We have been in discussions with Supercars for the majority of this year, working through possible scenarios. At the end of the day, with the current set of circumstances we are not in a position to deliver a sustainable, successful future for the event for next year and beyond.

“This was not an easy decision to make. The Superloop Adelaide 500 has been part of our event landscape since 1999.

“We have a terrific world-class motor racing facility at The Bend. We are very fortunate to have had significant private investment in that circuit, and we already know the motoring faithful are keen to support ongoing races there.”

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