Adelaide gets Wet N Wild
The Clipsal 500 produced yet another classic pair of races, with wet weather on Sunday failing to dampen the spirits of the 81,500-strong crowd who witnessed one of the great races on Adelaide’s city streets.
The rain fell a matter of hours before Sunday’s race, turning the usual sea of red and blue in the main grandstand into a rainbow of colours from the jackets, ponchos and umbrellas used to protect fans from rain for the first-time in a decade at the Clipsal 500. Those fans were rewarded with a thriller as Jamie Whincup stormed back from a bad start to claim victory, extending his Championship lead to 144 points. The combination of wet weather and a challenging street circuit produced some stunning racing, as drivers battled to keep their cars in a straight-line and off the concrete walls, still managing to make some audacious moves on one another.
Pic: A wet start to the Clipsal 500
There was no rain on Saturday when Tander claimed his fourth win on the streets of Adelaide – his 48th career race-win, which equals the mark set by the late Peter Brock. It was a fitting Holden-triumph in the city of the manufacturer’s Elizabeth plant, where all Australian Holden vehicles are built.
That city continued its love affair with V8 Supercars via the Clipsal 500 with 270,800 filing through the gates over the event’s four days. They were treated to four days of racing and four nights of concerts at the birthplace of the Rock ‘n’ Race format, which has been replicated throughout the V8 Supercars Championship. RocKwiz Live, a live rendition of SBS’s music trivia quiz show, was a popular addition to the lineup. Eighties night saw Leo Sayer and Mondo Rock take to the stage, while thousands hung around and braved more rain on Sunday night to see American rockers The Doobie Brothers. The crowd, and possibly Jamie Whincup, seemed happy singing in the rain.
