Race of a Thousand years

[nafe!]

With a enormous thread on the aussie gt series turning into the worlds longest argument rather then discussing the actual racing i thought i would post a thread on what was australias only true GT race in recent times if ever.

Anyone remember new years eve 2000 when we had prototypes and gts machines flying around the adelaide street circuit.

I was trying to find some footage of the event and was surprised that i couldnt find anything on youtube!. So if anyone knows of any stuff on the net please let me know.

http://www.autoracing1.com/MarkC/2002/0120Adelaide.htm

I found this interesting link which also has some relevence with melbourne about to loose the gp it shows a good argument why adelaide should never have lost it and perhaps in todays climate deserves it back? I know this is the wrong forum subsection but it deserves discussion and i couldnt really post it in the f1 section as i also wanted to talk about the gt race. The last adelaide f1 race had the largest f1 crowd ever untill the introduction of the indianapolis race half a decade later.

Did anyone here attend the race? it mentioned a race day crowd of 64,000 which is awesome considering it wasnt a televised series as far as i can remember(free to air tv).

The all aussie team was going to end up on the podium untill a mechanical issue later on. And the vipers dominated the field back when they were all conquering.

Ahh and remember the crocodile livery on the audi!

Check out the link it makes for very interesting reading.

[ff s conscience]

Hey, it's a discussion, not an argument!

I was at the ROTY too

I'd love to see some footage too...

I got me and wife into the podium celebration... sitting on the Audi getting sprayed with champagne, wife kissed McNish! (he's shorter than her, and she's only 5'2")

It Ferrari carnage for team PHR...

#shudder# memories

[bludvl_x19]

Was this race around the Current layout, or round the full F1 circuit?

The Audi Croc was/is one of my favourite cars, I have a model of it on my desk in pride of place. B.E.A.Utiful car that was.

Mick

[racer69]

It was run on the old F1 circuit.

Channel 10 showed a two hour highlights package of the race a few weeks after it happened

[bludvl_x19]

Originally Posted by racer69

It was run on the old F1 circuit.

Channel 10 showed a two hour highlights package of the race a few weeks after it happened

In true Ch10 form.

So the F1 circuit can still be used. I mean, it is still feasible to use.

Mick

[dmcl]

I remember it well.

When some friends and I talked about it, we decided to go over but only for race day, work commitiments got in the way. So four of us jumped in my company car at about 5 am on New Years Eve in Melbourne and made our way across. Got there about noon, found a room in a motel, and headed to our grandstand seats seats at Brewery Bend - being run on the full track.

The race day was rather warm, but not as bad as what we suffered at Albert Park a couple of weekends ago, and with the INXS concert after the event, every female between the age of 15-45 was scantily clad and ready for a party.

The Audis were quick, and the noise of the cosworth engines down the long straight in one of the prototype clases was awesome. Concert was good, Adelaide made it a party.

next day, leave Adelaide at 10 am, at home in Melbourne by 5 pm, ready to go to work the next day. Boss never queried the StarCard reciepts from Adelaide and Bordertown.

If it happened again, I would be there with bells on

[bludvl_x19]

And I would be booking a seat with you to go. I was too young to have independance, and wasn't really into motorsport, so I didn't pay much attention to it. ut now I know what I missed, I'd walk there if I needed to.

Mick

[davelise]

Do we have to wait another 1000years for another such race?

[bludvl_x19]

Assuming (I seem to be doing a lot of that lately) that it really is the Race of 1000yrs, then no, approx 992years

[Trev Campbell]

Fantastic Race, Seeing the cars fly around at night was amazing. I was mightily upset when the SA government screwed up yet another international race. I just loved the sound of the Panoz's, they were the loudest (Circuit)race cars I've ever heard. Boris Said and Hans Stuck flogging the BMW's were cool, It's a pity they didn't last !!!! I've still got the ch10 2 hour package on video, It's not great quality but still viewable.

[db120176]

The more I hear about the place, the more I think Adelaide must put on a great event when it comes to motor racing and the parties around it. I may have to make my way to Clipsal for the first time next year

[CooperS79]

http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/re...1/12/2000.ADEL

Natsoft Results.

[nafe!]

Thanks for that cooper, Im assuming the B.Jones listed as the driver of the winning audi was australias brad jones? He might not have won bathurst but this would definately be a nice win to have on his cv.

If a gt series comes to australia again adelaide would have to be the circuit of choice. Even any DTM interest would be better directed here then bathurst.

[cptkablamo]

I have a feeling the Jones didn't drive though - although he must have to be inside the rules...someone maybe able to clarify that...

The aftermath... http://feedmesportscars.com/node/977

Looking at that entry - how good would it be to have that back here...

[Bullett]

I seem to remember that Craig Lowndes was supposed to drive in one of the Panoz that Noske got him a drive in but with the bs involving HRT they blocked him from racing in the event as his contract expired at midnight? I sadly missed the race, I remember also a mixed Sportscar/Sports Sedan support grid featuring cars like Ricciardello's alfa, Randle's old Saab against Triumph's, MG's and Cobra's! Wish I was there, anyone who went have any pics they could scan and post?

Edit: Found the mixed race http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/re...2/2000.ADEL.P6 Punshon Robnell Cobra 11th outright, not to shabby against the opposition, That car is one of my all time favourites! Hossack in there in the old Saab, Tony R demolished them. Some interesting names there.

[Bullett]

Reading the original article Nafe posted, a 9 race contract would have made this year the last wouldn't it? Bugger imagine Briscoe might have won being on the street circuit!

[nafe!]

I had exactly the same thought...

You can only wonder if this contract had remained in place how much better off gt racing would be in australia. Like what the world cup did for soccer an event like this could have transformed the level of interest and participation in the local gt series.

Does anyone remember the politics surrounding the decision, was it as clear cut as the government just pulling the pin?

I really dont want to see any supertaxi comments or bashing going on but you cant help but wonder what tc's stance on this race was especially with it attracting such a large crowd only 2 months out from the supercar race.

[Chatters]

I know that Clipsal will be the naming rights sponsors until 2015, so I can only guess that the race will keep going until then...

[bludvl_x19]

Different Adelaide race, this is the ALMS race that happened in 2000, not the Clipsal 500 that the supertaxs race in.

Mick

[Big Mac]

I was also there, working and watching. The sound of the Rafanelli Judd flying through the gears coming out of the Chicane was magnificent. Bright and Murphy binning the Panoz 3 hours into the race was not so.

From recollection, Brad Jones was brought in as a potential super sub for McNish after he twisted his back earlier in the week…reportedly as he put his kilt for a photo shoot! Jones only did a handful of laps in practice and was not required in the race as McNish guts it out, remembering the ALMS championship was on the line still.

[peckstar]

i would imagine it would mean we would have moved the clipsal to the old track by now, i also imagine that we would have a permamnent pit building also

Does anyone remember what the crowd was like compared to Clipsal

[racer69]

Originally Posted by nafe!

Does anyone remember the politics surrounding the decision, was it as clear cut as the government just pulling the pin?

I really dont want to see any supertaxi comments or bashing going on but you cant help but wonder what tc's stance on this race was especially with it attracting such a large crowd only 2 months out from the supercar race.

There were rumours from memory that AVESCO wasn't happy with it, but the main reason was from memory the SA Government reassigned the money to go to the hospital system.

[cptkablamo]

Originally Posted by nafe!

I had exactly the same thought...

You can only wonder if this contract had remained in place how much better off gt racing would be in australia. Like what the world cup did for soccer an event like this could have transformed the level of interest and participation in the local gt series.

Does anyone remember the politics surrounding the decision, was it as clear cut as the government just pulling the pin?

I really dont want to see any supertaxi comments or bashing going on but you cant help but wonder what tc's stance on this race was especially with it attracting such a large crowd only 2 months out from the supercar race.

Had heard that the supertaxis had a hand in it but that's Chinese wispers...love to have some real proof, if it existed...

Damn, it would have been nice to see it over the last few years...could have become such a great event...

http://wsrp.ic.cz/alms2000.html#12 has the attendance at 135 000

[johnh875]

I was at the race also for all 4 days, it was a great event. Talking about the sound of the cars, a really unique one was the Cadillac, which had the turbos fed from only 6 cylinders of the V8 - anyone remember that?

[Trev Campbell]

Yeah John, IIRC it sounded a bit like a Harley, was a very stange engine set up.