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Four days of action to ignite Adelaide comeback

By Thomas Miles

The schedule of the highly-anticipated return of the VALO Adelaide 500 has been released with four action-packed days of running in store on the famous South Australian street circuit.

For the first time since the event was shutdown in 2020, Supercars will be roaring around the streets of Adelaide in what will be the season finale of the 2022 championship season.

In addition to the main-game, there will be a huge list of support acts featuring the Dunlop Super2/3 Series, S5000 Tasman Series, Touring Car Masters, Aussie Racing Cars and GT World Challenge Australia which will all be racing on the same piece of road once driven on by Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher.

After Formula 1 left at the end of 1995 to Albert Park, Supercars filled the void in 1999 until the popular street race was axed by the Steven Marshall Government in 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, but has been brought back to life by the new SA Premier Peter Malinauskas.

The event’s comeback from the brink of extinction will be complete on the Thursday evening when the Supercars stars fly around the 3.22km street circuit nestled in the Adelaide parklands for the first time in more than two years after the support categories completed their opening practice sessions.

Qualifying takes centre stage on Friday evening for Supercars, while all other categories aside from the Dunlop Series go racing.

Jamie Whincup took his 11th and final Adelaide 500 race win on the Saturday race of the 2020 event. Photo by Dirk Klynsmith / LAT Images

The familiar rhythm of Supercars blazing around the parklands during the Top 10 Shootout and gruelling 78-lap race will be the big-ticket item on both Saturday and Sunday as the supports complete anywhere between two and four races.

Despite Shane van Gisbergen wrapping up the drivers championship and Red Bull Ampol Racing securing the teams title on the streets of Surfers Paradise, there is still a lot to play for in the season finale.

In addition to claiming the coveted crown of Adelaide 500 champion currently held by Scott McLaughlin, there is the significant historical matter of who will be the last ever driver to win a race for Holden.

There will also be off track entertainment with The Killers, Jimmy Barnes, Icehouse and Noiseworks leading the concert line-up to ensure there is something for everyone in the momentums comeback of the Hall of Fame favourite event.

2022 VALO Adelaide 500 schedule

Thursday, December 1

8.50-9.10 Touring Car Masters Practice

9.25-9.50 GT World Challenge Practice 1

10.25-10.50 S5000 Tasman Series Practice 1

11.05-11.45 Dunlop Series Practice 1

12.00-12.20 Aussie Racing Cars Practice 1

12.30-12.50 Touring Car Masters Qualifying

13.20-13.45 GT World Challenge Practice 2

14.00-14.25 S5000 Tasman Series Practice 2

15.00-15.40 Dunlop Series Practice 2

15.55-16.25 Supercars Practice 1

Friday, December 2

8.50-9.10 Aussie Racing Cars Qualifying

9.25-9.45 GT World Challenge Qualifying 1

9.55-10.15 GT World Challenge Qualifying 2

10.30-10.50 S5000 Tasman Series Qualifying

11.20-11.40 Touring Car Masters Trophy Race

11.55-12.15 Aussie Racing Cars Race 1

12.30-13.00 Dunlop Series Qualifying

13.15-13.45 Supercars Practice 2

14.05-14.15 GT World Challenge Race 1

14.55-15.15 S5000 Tasman Series Race 1

15.30-15.50 Touring Car Masters Race 1

16.05-16.25 Aussie Racing Cars Race 2

16.40-17.10 Dunlop Series Qualifying

17.35-17.50 Supercars Qualifying

Saturday, December 3

9.10-9.30 Aussie Racing Cars Race 3

9.40-10.20 GT World Challenge Race 2

11.00-11.30 Supercars Practice 3

12.00-12.20 Touring Car Masters Race 2

12.35-13.05 Supercars Top 10 Shootout

13.20-13.40 S5000 Tasman Series Race 2

13.55-14.25 Dunlop Series Race 1

14.45-17.15 Supercars Race 33 (78 laps)

Sunday, December 4

8.40-9.20 GT World Challenge Race 3

10.05-10.45 S5000 Tasman Series Race 3

11.00-11.15 Supercars Qualifying

11.30-11.50 Aussie Racing Cars Race 4

12.05-12.35 Supercars Top 10 Shootout

12.50-13.10 Touring Car Masters Race 3

13.25-13.55 Dunlop Series Race 2

14.15-16.45 Supercars Race 34 (78 laps)

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