By Matthew Agius
The Clipsal 500 Adelaide is set to have a fresh new look for its tenth anniversary with plans firming to restore the old
Formula One Grand Prix circuit for the 2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series opener.
Following the 2007 race, organisers coined the possibility of extending the circuit beyond the current turn seven at the end of Hutt Street, to incorporate two more turns along East Terrace.
This would also result in replacing the Bartels Road straight with the original Rundle Road straight.
In doing so, the notorious turn eight sweeper would be replaced with a slower turn ten, as Rundle Road joins onto the Dequetteville Terrace straight, which would be extended by around five hundred metres.
The proposal comes as organisers investigate ways of catering for increased crowds at the event, following the Adelaide City Council's rejection of State Government plans to redeveloped Victoria Park.
Whilst the redevelopment, which would have seen the construction of a state-of-the-art grandstand, had the support of Lord Mayor Michael Harbison, the plans were rejected at a vote of the city council.
V8 Supercar chairman, Tony Cochrane, was highly critical about the failed development.
“I completely agree with the Deputy Premier Kevin Foley that the stance of the Adelaide City Council and their supposed ‘compromise' are unworkable and absurd,” said Cochrane.
“This is an unbelievably short-sighted and narrow minded position by the Council that does nothing for the City or the event which brings tens of millions of dollars into Adelaide year on year.
“Instead the backwards thinking Adelaide City Council has thwarted all attempts for this to happen.
The State Labor Government has committed twenty million dollars of taxpayer funds to establish temporary facilities for the event from 2009.
