25 YEARS OF ADELAIDE 500 MOMENTS

From the moment it started with a bang 25 years ago, the Adelaide 500 cemented itself as the standout Supercars event, receive a quarter of a century of unforgettable memories.

1999: SENSATIONAL START

Craig Lowndes on his way to victory. Image: Mark Horsburgh

FIVE YEARS after F1, Supercars arrived with a bang on the streets of Adelaide.

The format was unique, being a 500km race held over two 78-lap legs and Craig Lowndes stole the show.

The #1 HRT star led Saturday’s leg one, despite serving a stop-go for sending lapped privateer Danny Osborne into the wall, however he was excluded from the results and lost Sunday’s pole post race.

The rear of the grid start did not stop as Lowndes flew from 35th to first.

Infamously Paul Radisich was one who struggled with heat exhaustion and had to be carried from his as drivers battled the unprecedented endurance test in the concrete canyon.

Lowndes and fellow podium finishers Greg Murphy and Russell Ingall were greeted by a hero’s reception as the 64,000 strong Sunday crowd filled pit straight as the figure broke the record for the biggest ATCC crowd at the time, while the full attendance was 158,000.

These numbers left no doubt the Sensational Adelaide 500 was a success and marked a new era of Supercars racing.

2000: WALKING ON WATER

Brad Jones inspects the damage after his infamous roll over in 2000. Image: makr Horsburgh

AS THE race entered the new millennium with a new name, the other HRT driver produced another stunning last-to-first effort.

Whilst Lowndes carried on his winning streak in the Saturday sun, a massive thunderstorm at the 20-lap mark turned Sunday’s race on its head.

Despite a stop-go for pit lane speeding, Mark Skaife used the conditions and strategy to his advantage, soaring from 38th to first.

Brad Jones also made headlines, becoming the first driver to roll, firing off a chicane that is now Turn 8 after clipping a bundle.

Despite not winning a race, Garth Tander won the overall honours by accumulating the most points.

It was also the first year the event known as the Clipsal 500 and it stuck straight away.

2001: OLD TEAMMATES TANGLE

Craig Lowndes won on Saturday and crashed on Sunday in 2001. Image: Mark Horsburgh

SEVEN YEARS after Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill famously tripped over each other at Hutt Street, Mark Skaife and Craig Lowndes did their best reenactment at the same corner.

In his second round since his big deflection from HRT to Ford, Lowndes was on fire, producing a special Saturday drive to silence the boos with a famous win as other big names tripped up.

He found himself fighting with former teammate Skaife on Sunday and the pair tangled coming out of the right-handed Turn 6. It allowed the #2 HRT Commodore of Jason Bright to stand on the top step despite suffering first-lap damage.

There was more action at the Turn 8 chicane with brake failure seeing Dean Canto spearing into the tyres, while a clash with Todd Kelly sent Marcos Ambrose into the pit wall.

2002: BIRTH OF TURN EIGHT

Garth Tander leads Jason Bright, Todd Kelly and Mark Skaife through Turn 8. Image: Motorsport Images

FOLLOWING SOME high-profile crashes, the Turn 8 chicane was finally ditched and the iconically fast and fearsome sweeper arrived for the 2002 edition.

What was once a fourth gear, 130km/h awkward chicane was now a sixth gear, 210km/h challenge with no margin for error and it immediately caught the attention of drivers and fans alike.

As early as Friday practice, Turn 8 had its first victim in Paul Radisich.

The DJR driver hit the concrete side on with the left front wheel parting company.

The likes of Jason Bright, Steven Ellery, Todd Kelly and Glenn Seton all followed as some of the first to leave their signatures on the barrier.

Up front, no one could compete with Mark Skaife as he cruised to back-to-back wins

Another significant change was the calendar change from April to March as ‘the Clipsal’ became Supercars’ most iconic season opener.

2003: RED VERSUS BLUE

Marcos Ambrose and Mark Skaife head the field at the start of race 2 of the Clipsal 500 Image: Mark Horsburgh/LAT Photographic

THE 2003 Clipsal 500 marked the start of a new era in Supercars, being the first of the Project Blueprint era.

It was the height of tribal Holden versus Ford rivalry and each brand’s biggest name led the way.

Marcos Ambrose gave the Ford BA Falcon a win in its first attempt in a hotly contested opener.

However, the “General” hit back when it mattered on Sunday to maintain Holden’s perfect event winning record.

Due to the event’s constant growth, 2003 was the first four-day Clipsal 500, which pushed the attendance to over 200,000 fourth edition of the event 

2004: BIG BREAKTHROUGHS

The recked Holden of Garth Tander is taken back to the pit after crashing in the warmup for race 2 at the now infamous Turn 8. Image Mark Horsburgh/LAT Photographic

FORD FINALLY celebrated its first overall Clipsal 500 success thanks to the dominant Marcos Ambrose in 2004 when Turn 8 also entrenched itself into folklore.

Greg Murphy initially set the pace, taking pole by what is still a record pole margin of 0.4957s.

However, when racing took place it was all about reigning champion Ambrose, who swept up both 78-lap races in convincing style and give the Ford fans a long-awaited maiden Clipsal 500 success in the sixth attempt.

The legend of Turn 8 was only growing by 2004 as Garth Tander crashed out of proceedings in the Sunday warm-up.

But the corner’s first “big one” took place with Cameron McConville, Jason Bargwanna, Brad Jones and Steven Johnson all caught in a chaotic tangle.

2005: WORSHIPPING THE DEVIL

Marcos Ambrose crosses the line to take victory as his SBR team watch on. Image: Mark Horsburgh/LAT Photographic

JUST TWO weeks before the start of the V8 Supercars season, Ford hero Marcos Ambrose announced his plan to move to America and take on NASCAR.

As a result the 2005 season became a farewell tour and that was never bigger than the Clipsal 500.

For the second year in a row, Ambrose was an unstoppable force, becoming just the second driver to take back-to-back Clipsal 500 overall wins and the first to take four race wins in a row.

In his first appearance for Triple EIght, Craig Lowndes impressed, taking a pair of podiums in front of another monster crowd of 256,000.

With Murray Walker labelling it the “best touring car event in the world” the event was the first to be inducted into the Supercars Hall of Fame after just six years.

2006: A NEW SUPERPOWER

Jamie Whincup the new king of Adelaide in 2006. Image: Mark Horsburgh/LAT Photographic

WITH NO more Marcos Ambrose, the door was open for a new hero to step up and Triple Eight found one in Jamie Whincup.

After a tough debut with GRM in 2003 and some promise at Tasman Motorsport in 2005, Whincup was an unproven talent when Roland Dane took a punt in 2006 and the rest is history.

Whilst Craig Lowndes excelled in the searing Saturday heat in the opener, Whincup finished an impressive third before scaling further heights the following day.

As many big names floundered, Whincup excelled and took a famous maiden win.

It was a weekend of carnage as Skaife crashed not once, but twice at Turn 8, whilst Lowndes’ hopes of back-to-back wins ended in a multi-car pile up on Wakefield Street.

The weekend marked the passing of the baton of the leading Ford team from SBR to Triple Eight.

2007: FAMILY AFFAIR

Sunday winner Rick Kelly (HSV Dealer Team leads Saturday winner Todd Kelly (Holden Racing Team). Image: Mark Horsburgh/LAT Photographic

THE 2007 Clipsal 500 was ransacked by the Kelly gang as brothers Todd and Rick shared the wins.

Todd Kelly kicked things off by bringing HRT back to the top step on the Saturday race, which was the first to not feature a Safety Car.

On Sunday it was Rick Kelly’s turn to put car #1 into P1 and give the new VE Commodore more reasons to celebrate.

In a new first for the event, the Touring Car Masters took on the streets of Adelaide for the first time and immediately became a hit.

2008: HIGHS AND LOWS

RIP Ashley Cooper, who succumbed to his injuries on Monday 25th February 2008. Image: LAT

THERE WAS a great vibe leading into the 2008 Clipsal 500 as the now iconic race celebrated its 10-year anniversary.

A new record attendance of 291,400 people came to recognise the occasion as Jamie Whincup did the double as Cameron McConville and Lee Holdsworth took unexpected podiums.

A fresh-faced Kiwi called Shane van Gisbergen also took on the Adelaide streets for the first time and finished an impressive fifth on the Sunday where James Courtney and Craig Lowndes clashed fighting for second at Turn 10.

However, a shadow was cast over all the racing action due to the fatal crash for Ashley Cooper in the Development Series.

Cooper crashed at Turn 8 and tragically passed away from his injuries two days later in the Royal Adelaide Hospital. He was the first and only death on the Adelaide Street Circuit since F1’s debut in 1985.

2009: NEW LOOK

Lowndes and Whincup share the front row in front of the new grandstand. Image: Mark Horsburgh/LAT Photographic

THE ADELAIDE Street Circuit had a fresh look when the V8 Supercars arrived for the 2009 season opener.

After a two-year battle between the Government and City Council about track facilities, a permanent pit building did not eventuate.

However, a new and huge temporary pit building was built and complemented by new and bigger grandstands with striking red and blue shades.

Whilst the surroundings were different, the form guide was the same as Jamie Whincup became just the second driver to record a quartet of Clipsal 500 race wins, albeit after an almighty battle with new HRT recruit Will Davison.

2010: CHANGING TIMES

2010 winner Garth Tander keeps Whincup and Courtney at bay. Image Mark Horsburgh/LAT Photographic.

FOR THE time since 2001, Adelaide did not signal the start of the V8 Supercars season.

Instead the championship started 11,037km away in Abu Dhabi, relegating the Clipsal 500 to round 3.

Triple Eight also had a different feel, having made the high-profile switch from Ford to Holden.

Jamie Whincup fought hard to carry on his impressive streak, but through a mix of fuel economy and pit problems saw him drop away.

But it was the factory HRT squad that returned to the top step with Garth Tander getting the team’s first overall Clipsal 500 triumph in seven years.

It was the first year the two 78-lap races had their own respective qualifying sessions.

2011: THRILLING FINISH

Jamie Whincup gets airborne. Image: LAT

THE OPENING race of the 2011 Clipsal 500 was a cracker between the men who had dominated the event for the previous three years.

Garth Tander and Jamie Whincup put on a show in pursuit of the win, fighting until the chequered flag.

Just 0.5420s split the pair with Tander leading the way in the closest finish in Adelaide 500 history.

The first wet Adelaide race in 11 years added extra spice on Sunday, but Whincup used the tricky conditions to get revenge on a day when many came unstuck.

2012: BACK TO THE TOP

Will Davison leads the field through the Senna Chicane in 2012. Image: Mark Horsnurgh

AFTER TWO years the Clipsal 500 once again opened the V8 Supercars season with a bang.

It was Supercars at its best as Will Davison did his best to fend off a charging Jamie Whincup in a finish for the ages.

In a late twist, Davison ran out of fuel on the final lap, as Whincup blazed past to another win.

Davison would have the last laugh however, dominating the Sunday race to give FPR its only Adelaide win in the event’s first 23 years.

For the first time the racing did not feature Greg Murphy after he suffered a horrific qualifying crash with Jonathan Webb on the Friday.

2013: NEW BEGINNINGS

Casey Stoner driving a triple Eight Super2 Commodore. Image Daniel Kalisz/LAT Photographic

THE CAR of the Future arrived and for the first time in Adelaide’s championship era, brands other than Holden and Ford went V8 Supercars racing.

The old foes were joined by Mercedes and Nissan, but the first bout of the new era was dominated by the “General.”

A Safety Car free Saturday saw Craig Lowndes cruise to a huge 20s win in the COTF opener.

But the headlines were stolen by Shane van Gisbergen, who announced himself as a rejuvenated figure.

After abruptly retiring from SBR/Erebus, he entered the weekend under threat he may not even be able to race, but dominated Sunday’s more eventful race where only 17 of the 28 starters made it home.

Casey Stoner drew worldwide attention on the Development Series, driving a #27 Triple Eight VE Commodore. He retired in race 1, but rose from 30th to 14th in Race 2.

2014: JANDAL ALL THE WAY

Scott McLaughlin made Volvo cool again with one famous move at Turn 14. Image: Peter Norton

VOLVO WAS the latest international make to arrive in 2014, but few predicted just how big of a splash the Swedish brand would make on debut.

As Craig Lowndes cruised to his sixth and final Adelaide win, McLaughlin and Jamie Whincup had a legendary scuffle for second.

They banged doors until the last corner where McLaughlin “gave it some jandal” and drove to second place and folklore.

Whilst James Courtney will eventually take his first Clipsal 500 crown, his win was overshadowed by Jason Bright’s spectacular roll over in the Senna Chicane sparked by the short-lived “Acceleration Zone” restart.

It marked the most significant race format change, with Saturday’s 250km leg split into a pair of 125km sprints, with the twilight affair producing McLaughlin’s heroics.

2015: RETURN OF THE DEVIL

Marcos Ambrose was back in a Supercar, 10 years after his last visit to Adelaide, this time for DJR. Image: Peter Norton

FORD’S FIRST and most successful Adelaide 500 driver, Marcos Ambrose, made his comeback to V8 Supercars.

Adelaide was the scene of what was supposed to be a full-time return and the beginning of DJR Team Penske.

Whilst the team would go onto great things, it proved to be Ambrose’s one and final solo round of 2015.

He started with a pair of P16s in the sprints won by Jamie Whincup and Fabian Coulthard before the #17 was a popular part of the Shootout, qualifying ninth and finishing 12th on the Sunday.

Whilst lots of attention was on Ambrose, his SBR replacement James Courtney produced another Sunday special by holding off Shane van Gisbergen.

2016: WET AND WILD

Few predicted Nick Percat to win the 2016 Clipsal 500. Image Peter Norton

FANS WERE singing in the rain as biblical conditions produced the first home town winner of the Clipsal 500.

After a massive thunderstorm reduced Sunday’s main race to 48 laps, Adelaide’s own Nick Percat splashed his way to a famous win for underdog Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport.

A massive part of the story was the LDM team completing the 140L fuel drop before the chequered flag – a rule that caught many out.

James Courtney and Jamie Whincup shared the Saturday sprints, producing a thrilling fight in Race 2.

Courtney threw his #22 VF Commodore wildly through Turn 8 and held off Whincup to give HRT victory in what would be its last Clipsal 500 under the famous name.

2017: CONQUERING KIWIS

Chaz Mostert and Shane Van Gisbergen race each other over the Senna Chicane kerb. Image: Peter Norton

BEFORE 2017, only one of the 36 Adelaide 500 races had been won by a Kiwi, but that was about to change.

Kicked off by a dominant Shane van Gisbergen clean sweep in 2017, New Zealand drivers won it all for three years in a row.

The Sunday leg was the fastest Adelaide 500 race ever with 

Alex Rullo made history as the youngest driver to start a ATCC/Supercars race at just 16, while Simona De Silvestro was the first female to race in the South Australian street event.

2018: NEW CAR, SAME RESULT

The new ZB Commodore locks out the front row on its first attempt. Image: Peter Norton

FOR THE first time in 18 years, the race was no longer known as “The Clipsal” and a new car created its own history at the 20th anniversary event.

The Holden ZB Commodore was given the perfect christening by Shane van Gisbergen as he became the third driver to record back-to-back clean sweeps.

It was also the last time Nissan took on the streets of Adelaide, while Jamie Whincup suffered his first Adelaide DNF ever on the Sunday due to a broken gearbox.

2019: PONY POWER

The new Ford Mustang was unbeatable with Scott McLaughlin at the wheel. Image: Peter Norton

THE 2019 Superloop Adelaide 500 not only revealed a new name, but also a new car as for the first time in event history Ford was not represented by the Falcon.

Instead the brand-new Mustang GT arrived on the scene and Scott McLaughlin crushed the opposition, sweeping both races.

It was sweet relief for Ford fans as the DJR star ended the brand’s longest Adelaide 500 drought of 15 races stretching back to 2012.

Whilst there was some pit lane chaos, Sunday’s race was the first and only time every driver finished.

2020: END OF THE ROAD

The chequered flag is waved on winner Scott McLaughlin and suddenly the entire event in 2020. Image: Peter Norton

WHEN THE Superloop Adelaide 500 was held, everything seemed alright.

The parity concerns of the previous year appeared to have been in the part after Jamie Whincup and Scott McLaughlin gave Holden and Ford a win each.

Whilst 206,000 was the lowest attendance since 2003, no one could imagine what was about to come.

Within weeks COVID-19 arrived and put the world on pause and just eight months later, the Steven Marshall South Australian Government made the shock announcement it would pull the plug out of the entire event all together.

The South Australian Tourism Commission did not renew the event’s contract with COVID-19 the reason given in what proved to be a highly unpopular decision.

2022: BACK TO ITS BEST

Shane Van Gisbergen salutes the big crowd that gathered for the return of the Adelaide 500. Image: Peter Norton

THE SUPERCARS season did not feel the same without the Adelaide 500 and it only had to wait a year before the iconic event would make a sensational comeback.

In the lead up to the 2022 election, spearheading the campaign of Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas was the promise that he would bring the race back if elected.

And after convincingly winning the state election in March, Malinauskas did just that.

He put in a power of work to stage the VALO Adelaide 500 as the F1 style 2022 season finale just eight months later.

The comeback proved to be a hit, with the fans voting with their feet as 258,000 people flocked through the gates.

2022: FAREWELL THE LION

Chaz Mostert leads WAU teammate Nick Percat in a special 1-2. Photo by Mark Horsburgh / LAT Images

ANOTHER MAJOR reason why emotions were high that weekend as it was the final time Holden raced in Supercars and its drivers saluted the brand in style.

Racing in 1990 tribute colours, the brand’s most famous factory team, now known as WAU put on a clinic.

Chaz Mostert led home teammate Nick Percat in a fitting formation finish.

But the Holden celebrations were far from over.

In another Sunday classic Broc Feeney followed in the footsteps of Jamie Whincup and became the first since Lowndes in 1999 to win on Adelaide debut.

He held off Mostert in a tense run to the flag, while Triple Eight teammate Shane van Gisbergen pulled off an unforgettable burnout.

A 617th and final win was the perfect way to salute Holden.

2023: NEW CHAMPION

Brodie Kostecki leads David Reynolds in 2023. Image: Peter Norton

FOR A decade Adelaide crowned F1 champions and now it was going the same in Supercars and 2023 saw its first title showdown.

Having already wrapped up the crown before the finale in 2022, Shane van Gisbergen had his work cut out trying to defend his title from new challenger Brodie Kostecki in 2023.

The first Supercars title showdown on the streets of Adelaide proved to be an anticlimax as van Gisbergen had a first-lap incident, allowing Kostecki and Erebus to take a historic maiden success.

Ford dominated the weekend as Cameron Waters gave Tickford just its second Adelaide triumph, while Matt Payne was the latest rookie to rise to the occasion, dominating the Sunday race.

The crowd kept growing with the 2023 event being the first since 2018 to exceed 260,000.

With great racing and global mega music stars such as Robbie Williams and Icehouse performing, there was no question the Adelaide 500 was firing on all cylinders once again.

Images: Mark Horsburgh EDGE Photographics/Peter Norton EPIC Sports Photography 

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