Adelaide International Raceway
Adelaide International Raceway at a glance
- Location
- Virginia, South Australia
- Type
- road course & oval
- Length
- 2.41 km (1.498 mi)
- Turns
- 8
- Direction
- clockwise (the Speedway Super Bowl oval runs anti-clockwise)
- Banking
- 5° through Turns 8-9 on the road course; 3° on the Speedway Super Bowl's back straight
- Surface
- asphalt
- Opened
- 1972
- Owner
- Bob Jane Corporation (Jane Raceways), operated by Australian Motorsport Club Limited
- Phone
- +61 3 9091 0800
Track map and layout
Adelaide International Raceway packs several configurations onto one site at Virginia, 26 km north of Adelaide: a 2.410 km, 8-turn full road circuit, a shorter 1.770 km, 6-turn version, and the 0.805 km Speedway Super Bowl oval built around part of the same front straight. The road course runs clockwise with modest banking through Turns 8-9, while the Super Bowl runs anti-clockwise with light banking on its back straight, and the 920 m main straight doubles as the venue's quarter-mile drag strip. Today the road circuits and oval no longer carry sanctioned racing; only the drag strip, sharing that same straight, is still in regular use, along with drifting and venue-hire days.
Named corners and sections
- Turns 8-9. The only banked section of the road course, rated at 5 degrees, leading back onto the main straight.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Full circuit | 2.41 km | 8 turns; used for the Australian Touring Car Championship and other national categories from 1972 to 1988 |
| Short circuit | 1.77 km | 6 turns |
| Speedway Super Bowl (oval) | 0.80 km | 4 turns; used for speedway and a NASCAR exhibition era in the 1990s |
| Drag strip | 0.40 km | Quarter-mile strip built along the venue's main straight |
Events and race weekends
Adelaide International Raceway hosted the Australian Touring Car Championship from 1972 to 1988, plus the Tasman Series, the Rothmans International Series, and national Formula 2, sports car and GT categories through the 1970s and 1980s, before those major series drifted away to Mallala and, later, The Bend. No touring car, GT or open-wheel championship round has returned since, and the Speedway Super Bowl's oval racing also wound down; today the calendar is built entirely around independent drag racing meetings, run in recent years by promoters such as Adelaide DragRace Promotions, alongside drifting events and private venue hire.
Getting there and parking
Adelaide International Raceway sits on Port Wakefield Road at Virginia, about 26 km and a 25-30 minute drive north of the Adelaide CBD. Adelaide Airport is on the opposite, southern side of the city, so the drive from the airport is similar, around half an hour up the Port Wakefield Road/Salisbury corridor. There is no public transport service to the venue; visiting a drag meeting or booking a hire day both assume you are arriving by car.
- Adelaide Airport (ADL) · about 30 min drive
Parking
On-site parking is available for drag racing and venue-hire days; there is no public transport to the raceway, so a car is effectively required.
Check the venue's website or Facebook page, or call ahead, before visiting - the official calendar has listed little beyond 'TBA' in recent years, and independent promoters' meeting dates change at short notice.
Hotels and camping near Adelaide International Raceway
There is no longer a headline event drawing overnight crowds to Virginia, so most visitors either day-trip from Adelaide or, if travelling for a specific drag meeting, base themselves in the city and drive up on the day. Adelaide's CBD and northern suburbs such as Salisbury and Elizabeth, both closer to Port Wakefield Road than the city centre, offer the nearest hotel and motel options.
Where to look
Adelaide's CBD has the widest hotel choice; the northern suburbs of Salisbury and Elizabeth sit closer to Port Wakefield Road and cut the drive to the raceway.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
Unlike a street circuit, Adelaide International Raceway is built to let members of the public bring their own cars: its drag strip has hosted 'test and tune' and street-meet nights where any roadworthy car or bike can run down the quarter-mile. In practice, though, the venue's road circuits and oval have carried no sanctioned racing in decades, and even the drag program has been repeatedly disrupted - reports as recent as the early 2020s described the strip as non-operational pending wall-compliance work, while the venue's own website currently lists its next event only as 'TBA'. Anyone planning a visit should confirm directly with the raceway or a current promoter before travelling.
Lap records
| Category | Time | Driver | Car | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full circuit (Formula 5000) | 0:49.5 | Alan Jones | — | 1977 |
| Speedway Super Bowl (NASCAR exhibition) | 0:22.7 | Terry Whyhoon | — | 1998 |
Spectator guide
With no touring car or GT championship left to draw crowds, Adelaide International Raceway's spectator experience today is built around drag racing and drifting meetings rather than grandstand racing. These gatherings are generally low-key, open-fence affairs rather than ticketed grandstand events, and there is no equivalent of the old touring car grandstands still standing. Anyone attending a drag meeting should expect informal viewing along the strip fencing rather than reserved seating.
Seating
No dedicated grandstands remain in regular use; drag and drifting meetings are watched from fencing along the strip rather than seated stands.
Best places to watch
Fenced viewing areas along the drag strip for meeting-day spectators; there is no current equivalent of the old road-circuit grandstands.
Weather
- Jan/Feb: Adelaide's summer is hot and dry; typical highs sit around 29-30°C, with heatwave spikes above 40°C possible in late January and February
History of Adelaide International Raceway
A purpose-built home for South Australian motorsport
Businessman Keith Williams, better known for developing Surfers Paradise's Sea World, opened Adelaide International Raceway at Virginia on 9 January 1972, giving South Australia its first purpose-built national-standard circuit. The venue combined a 2.410 km road course, a shorter 1.770 km configuration and the 0.805 km Speedway Super Bowl oval around a shared main straight that also served as a drag strip, and it was immediately absorbed into the national calendar.
The peak years
From 1972 to 1988 the raceway hosted rounds of the Australian Touring Car Championship, the Tasman Series for open-wheelers, the Rothmans International Series, and national Formula 2, sports car and GT championships, drawing the biggest names in Australian motorsport of the era, including Formula 5000 star Alan Jones, whose 1977 lap of 49.5 seconds still stands as the road course's benchmark. Motorcycle racing, including rounds of the Swann International Series, and drag racing meetings ran alongside the car categories throughout this period.
Decline and the drag-strip era
By the late 1980s, Adelaide's major touring car and open-wheel rounds had begun shifting to Mallala Motorsport Park, and later The Bend, leaving the Virginia venue without a national championship tenant. Road course and oval racing wound down through the 1990s and 2000s, and the site settled into a role built around drag racing and, more recently, drifting, run under a series of promoters and the venue's owner, Bob Jane Corporation. Reports through the early 2020s described repeated interruptions to the drag program pending infrastructure compliance work, and as of this writing the raceway's own website lists no confirmed upcoming event, underscoring just how far the venue has fallen from its 1970s and '80s heyday as one of Australia's national circuits.
Frequently asked questions
Is Adelaide International Raceway still open?+
The venue still exists and hosts drag racing and drifting, but its road circuits and oval have carried no sanctioned racing since the 1980s/90s, and even the drag program has faced repeated interruptions in recent years - check current listings before visiting.
Can the public drive at Adelaide International Raceway?+
Historically yes, through drag-strip test-and-tune and street-meet nights open to roadworthy cars and bikes, but the raceway's own website currently lists no confirmed upcoming event, so availability should be confirmed directly with the venue or a current promoter.
How long is the Adelaide International Raceway circuit?+
The full road course is 2.410 km (1.498 miles) with 8 turns; a shorter 1.770 km, 6-turn configuration and a 0.805 km Speedway Super Bowl oval are also part of the site.
What major series used to race at Adelaide International Raceway?+
The Australian Touring Car Championship (1972-1988), the Tasman Series, the Rothmans International Series, and national Formula 2, sports car and GT categories all held rounds there before shifting to Mallala Motorsport Park and later The Bend.
Who holds the lap record at Adelaide International Raceway?+
Alan Jones set the outright road-course record, 49.5 seconds, driving a Formula 5000 car in 1977.
What is the nearest airport to Adelaide International Raceway?+
Adelaide Airport (ADL), about a 25-30 minute drive south of the raceway.
Other tracks nearby
- Adelaide Parklands Street Circuit · 26 km · street circuit
- Mallala Motor Sport Park · 32 km · road course
- The Bend Motorsport Park · 110 km · road course
- Calder Park Raceway · 646 km · road course & oval (Thunderdome dormant)
- Albert Park Circuit · 672 km · street circuit
- Sandown International Motor Raceway · 693 km · road course
Facts checked against 6 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-10.