Layout used by Supercars from 1999 Layout used by Formula 1 from 1985 to 1995 and ALMS in 2000 | |
Location | Adelaide, South Australia |
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Time zone | UTC+09:30 (UTC+10:30 DST) |
Coordinates | 34°55′50″S138°37′14″E / 34.93056°S 138.62056°E |
FIA Grade | 3 |
Owner | Adelaide City Council |
Opened | 31 October 1985 Re-opened in 8 April 1999 |
Closed | 12 November 1995 |
Former names | Adelaide Parklands Circuit |
Major events | Current: Supercars Championship Adelaide 500 (1999–2020, 2022–present) Supercars Challenge (1985–1995) Former: Formula One Australian Grand Prix (1985–1995) American Le Mans Series Race of a Thousand Years (2000) Stadium Super Trucks (2015–2018, 2020, 2024) GT World Challenge Australia (2007–2013, 2015–2017, 2022–2023) S5000 (2023) S5000 Tasman Series (2022) |
Supercars Circuit (1999–2020, 2022–present) | |
Length | 3.219 km (2.001 miles) |
Turns | 14 |
Race lap record | 1:16.0357 ( Aaron Cameron, Rogers AF01/V8, 2023, S5000) |
Grand Prix Circuit (1985–1995, 2000) | |
Length | 3.780 km (2.349 miles) |
Turns | 16 |
Race lap record | 1:15.381 ( Damon Hill, Williams FW15C, 1993, F1) |
The Adelaide Street Circuit (also known as the Adelaide Parklands Circuit) is a temporary street circuit in the East Parklands adjacent to the Adelaide central business district in South Australia, Australia.
The 3.780 km (2.349 mi) "Grand Prix" version of the track 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). Between 1999 and 2020 and again from 2022, a shortened 3.219 km (2.000 mi) version of the circuit has been used for the Adelaide 500 touring car race. It is also being used by the Adelaide Motorsport Festival. [1]
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During Adelaide's era hosting the Australian Grand Prix, the circuit hosted annual non-championship races for the Australian Touring Car Championship.
From 1999 until 2020, the track hosted an annual Supercars race, the Adelaide 500, (in most years a 2 x 250 km race) on a shorter, 3.219 km (2.000 mi) variant of the track. The event became one of the most acclaimed on the Supercars calendar, and is the only event added to the Supercars Hall of Fame. [3] The event returned in 2022.
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The Adelaide Street Circuit pit straight on Victoria Park is 500 m (550 yd) long and faces northwest. All the buildings and grandstands are temporary and were removed each year due to ongoing campaigning by the Adelaide Parklands Preservation Association Inc.[ citation needed ]
At the end of the straight, drivers negotiate the Senna Chicane, so named after triple World Champion Ayrton Senna following his death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.[ citation needed ] Senna had sat on the pole for the first Adelaide Grand Prix in 1985, and would go on to take the pole in Adelaide 6 times in 9 races, while winning in 1991 (the second shortest race in Formula One history due to torrential rain, after the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix), as well as his last career victory in 1993.[ citation needed ]
After the chicane the cars take a fast left turn to go uphill on a short straight on Wakefield Road to East Terrace.
The first of a series of three 90 degree corners. The first corner was notable for the fortunate vantage point of Christian Brothers College.
Followed by fourth onto Bartels Road back across the parklands. Then the track follows the fast turn 8 sweeper. This corner was re-configured in 2009 and it produced some protests from many of the teams due to its speed and lack of runoff area.[ citation needed ] Turn 8 has been the site of many crashes in the various categories that have used the shortened version of the circuit.[ citation needed ]
The full Grand Prix circuit bypasses the turn onto Bartels Road and continues with a sweeping left-right-right into Stag Turn (turn 9). This leads onto the 360 m (390 yd) long Jones Straight, known as Rundle Road for the rest of the year and named after Australia's 1980 World Champion Alan Jones.[ citation needed ]
In 2017, the building and opening of the O-Bahn Busway access and tunnel running off of Grenfell Street and across the circuit where the sweeping left-right-right (turns 7, 8 and 9) were made it necessary to actually move turns 7 and 8 approximately 100 metres to the south. While not affecting the overall length of the full circuit, it would made the run from turn 6 shorter and the run to turn 9 longer. The sweeping bends were also known as Banana Bend due to its location adjacent to the Adelaide Fruit Markets.
Brewery Bend is a fast right-hand sweeper named after the Kent Town Brewery that opens onto Dequetteville Terrace.[ citation needed ]
The Dequetteville Terrace straight (named after Jack Brabham for Formula One and Peter Brock for the Adelaide 500) was a 900 m (980 yd) stretch where the over 1,000 bhp (746 kW; 1,014 PS) Formula One cars in the turbo era (1985–88) were reaching speeds in excess of 200 mph (320 km/h) making Adelaide easily the fastest street circuit of the time as the only others were the much tighter Monaco, Detroit and Phoenix circuits.[ citation needed ] The short form of the track rejoins Brabham Straight two-thirds of the way down, so the 640 m (700 yd) long Bartels Road straight is longest on that layout. In 2007 this section of track was renamed Brock Straight after touring car driver Peter Brock.[ citation needed ]
At the end of Brabham Straight is a right hand hairpin turn (at the Britannia Roundabout) that directs the driver back onto Wakefield Road.
After accelerating out of the hairpin the driver faces a left turn and a 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 a small valley on the Brock Straight, and a slight incline on Jones Straight, while the run-up Wakefield Road from turns 3 to 4 also has a slight incline.[ citation needed ] All of these sections of the track run in an east–west direction. The elevation ranges from 36–53 m (118–174 ft).[ citation needed ]
During the Formula One and early V8 Supercar eras the Victoria Park Racecourse, a horse racing track, was located at the park, though has since been removed.[ citation needed ]
Between 2014 and 2018, an annual Adelaide Motorsport Festival ran on the Victoria Park Sprint Circuit, a shortened 1.4 km (0.87 mi) layout. The layout turned right along Wakefield Street after the Senna Chicane and then rejoined the main circuit for the final corners. [4] The event had attracted older Formula 1 machinery, with Ivan Capelli holding the lap record in a March CG891. [5] The event was returned on March 24–26, 2023; and was also held on March 15–17, 2024. [6] [7]
The fastest ever recorded lap of the original 3.780 km (2.349 mi) Grand Prix Circuit was 1:13.371 by triple World Champion Ayrton Senna driving a McLaren MP4/8 Ford during qualifying for the 1993 Australian Grand Prix. [8] However, as this was in qualifying and not a race, it does not count as the lap record.
The fastest officially recorded lap of the 3.219 km (2.000 mi) Supercars circuit is 1:16.0357 set by Aaron Cameron on 24 November 2023 driving a Rogers AF01/V8 in 2023 S5000 Australian Drivers' Championship. [9] As of November 2024, the fastest official race lap records at Adelaide Street Circuit are listed as: [8] [10] [11]
The fastest recorded lap of the 1.4 km (0.87 mi) Victoria Park Sprint circuit is 0:42.5753 set by Ivan Capelli on 2 December 2018 driving a March CG891 car from the 1989 Formula One season.
Class | Driver | Vehicle | Time | Date |
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Outright | Ivan Capelli | March CG891 Ilmor | 0:42.5753 | 2 December 2018 |
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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. Some of the artists who have performed the concerts either at the Grand Prix or the Clipsal 500 include Cher, Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Daryl Braithwaite, INXS and Kiss. During her concert following the 1993 AGP, Tina Turner had an impromptu visitor in the form of the race winner and triple World Champion Ayrton Senna. Although she had already performed the song earlier, as a tribute to Senna, Turner again sung her hit song "The Best".
The stadium section also hosted the Pedal Prix and a prologue stage of the Classic Adelaide Rally and the replacement Targa Adelaide Rally.
The pit straight is used each November for the Sporting Car Club of South Australia's annual John Blanden's Climb to the Eagle. This event commenced as part of the 1985 Formula One with many well known racing identities taking part. The event sees up to 600 sports and exotic cars lined up on the starting grid before leaving to drive to Eagle on the Hill in the Adelaide Hills on the Friday of the weekend when the F1 Grand Prix was traditionally held in Adelaide. Another event held in November is the annual Toy Run which features over 1,000 motorcycle riders donating toys for under privileged children. The Toy Run moved to using the pit straight as its starting point in 2012 after previously starting from Glenelg.
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1984 to 1994. Senna won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles with McLaren, and—at the time of his death—held the record for most pole positions (65), among others; he won 41 Grands Prix across 11 seasons.
The Australian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event which is under contract to host Formula One until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different venues having been used since it was first run at Phillip Island in 1928. The race became part of the Formula One World Championship in 1985. Since 1996, it has been held at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, with the exceptions of 2020 and 2021, when the races were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, it was held in Adelaide.
The 1984 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on 7 October 1984. It was the fifteenth race of the 1984 Formula One World Championship. It was also the first Formula One race to be held at the Nürburgring since 1976, and the first to be run on the new 4.54 km (2.82 mi) GP-Strecke circuit, rather than the historic 20.892 km (12.982 mi) Nordschleife, which after new pit facilities and layout modifications had been shortened so that both circuits could be used at the same time.
The 1985 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Paul Ricard on 7 July 1985. It was the seventh race of the 1985 Formula One World Championship. It was the 63rd French Grand Prix and the ninth to be held at Paul Ricard. The race was held over 53 laps of the 5.81-kilometre (3.61 mi) circuit for a total race distance of 307.93 kilometres (191.34 mi).
The 1985 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on the Adelaide Street Circuit in Adelaide on 3 November 1985. The sixteenth and final race of the 1985 Formula One World Championship, it was the 50th running of the Australian Grand Prix and the first to be held on the streets of Adelaide on a layout specifically designed for the debut of the World Championship in Australia. The race was held over 82 laps of the 3.780 km (2.362 mi) circuit for a total race distance of 310 kilometres. The race was won by Keke Rosberg driving a Williams-Honda; this was the final win for Rosberg, the last race for Alfa Romeo until 2019, and the last by a Finnish driver until Mika Häkkinen won the 1997 European Grand Prix.
The 1986 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on 25 May 1986. It was the fifth race of the 1986 FIA Formula One World Championship. The race was the 44th Belgian Grand Prix and the 32nd to be held at Spa-Francorchamps. It was held over 43 laps of the 7-kilometre (4.35 mi) circuit for a total race distance of 301 kilometres (187 mi).
The 1986 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 26 October 1986 at the Adelaide Street Circuit, Adelaide, Australia. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1986 Formula One World Championship. The race decided a three-way battle for the Drivers' Championship between Brit Nigel Mansell, driving a Williams-Honda; his Brazilian teammate Nelson Piquet; and Frenchman Alain Prost, driving a McLaren-TAG.
The 1987 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 5 July 1987 at the Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet. It was the sixth race of the 1987 Formula One World Championship. It was the 65th French Grand Prix and the eleventh to be held at Paul Ricard, and the second to be held on the shortened version of the circuit. The race was held over 80 laps of the 3.813-kilometre (2.369 mi) circuit for a race distance of 305.040 kilometres (189.543 mi).
The 1987 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Adelaide on 15 November 1987. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1987 Formula One World Championship.
The 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 3 April 1988, at the renamed Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet in Rio de Janeiro. Following his 3rd World Drivers' Championship in 1987 the Jacarepaguá Circuit was named after local hero Nelson Piquet. It was the first race of the 1988 Formula One season.
The 1988 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Adelaide Street Circuit on 13 November 1988. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1988 Formula One World Championship, and the last race for which turbocharged engines would be eligible until the 2014 Australian Grand Prix.
The 1990 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Adelaide on 4 November 1990. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1990 Formula One World Championship, and the 500th race to contribute to the World Drivers' Championship since the series started in 1950. The race was the 55th Australian Grand Prix, and the sixth to be part of the Formula One World Championship. It was held over 81 laps of the 3.78-kilometre (2.35 mi) circuit for a race distance of 306 kilometres (190 mi).
The 1993 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Adelaide on 7 November 1993. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1993 Formula One World Championship.
The 1990 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 44th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1990 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1990 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a sixteen-race series that commenced on 11 March and ended on 4 November. Ayrton Senna won the Drivers' Championship for the second time, and McLaren-Honda won their third consecutive Constructors' Championship.
The 1988 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 42nd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1988 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1988 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a sixteen-race series that commenced on 3 April and ended on 13 November. The World Championship for Drivers was won by Ayrton Senna, and the World Championship for Constructors by McLaren-Honda. Senna and McLaren teammate Alain Prost won fifteen of the sixteen races between them; the only race neither driver won was the Italian Grand Prix, where Ferrari's Gerhard Berger took an emotional victory four weeks after the death of team founder Enzo Ferrari. McLaren's win tally has only been bettered or equalled in seasons with more than sixteen races; their Constructors' Championship tally of 199 points, more than three times that of any other constructor, was also a record until 2002.
The 1987 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 41st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1987 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1987 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a sixteen-race series that commenced on 12 April and ended on 15 November.
The 1986 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 40th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1986 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1986 Formula One World Championship for Manufacturers, both of which commenced on 23 March and ended on 26 October after sixteen races. The Drivers' Championship was won by Alain Prost, Prost was the first driver to win back-to-back Drivers' Championships since Jack Brabham in 1959 and 1960. Together with Prost, Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna dominated throughout the season and formed what was dubbed as the "Gang of Four".
The 1985 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 39th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1985 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1985 Formula One World Championship for Manufacturers, both of which commenced on 7 April and ended on 3 November after sixteen races.
The 1984 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 38th season of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1984 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1984 Formula One World Championship for Manufacturers, both of which commenced on 25 March and ended on 21 October after sixteen races.
The McLaren MP4/5, and its derived sister model, the MP4/5B, were highly successful Formula One racing cars designed by the McLaren Formula One team based in Woking, England, and powered by Honda's naturally-aspirated RA109E and RA100E V10 engines respectively. The chassis design was led by Neil Oatley, teaming up with Steve Nichols, Pete Weismann, Tim Wright, Bob Bell and Mike Gascoyne. As with the previous designs, Gordon Murray, as Technical Director, had the role of liaising between the drawing office and production. Osamu Goto was the Honda F1 team chief designer for the car's engine.