Adelaide Parklands Street Circuit

Adelaide Parklands Street Circuit at a glance

Location

Adelaide, South Australia

Type

street circuit

Length

3.219 km (2 mi)

Turns

14

Direction

clockwise

Surface

asphalt (public roads)

Opened

1985

Owner

Adelaide City Council

Address

East Parklands, adjacent to the Adelaide CBD

Website

adelaidegrandfinal.com.au

Track map and layout

The Adelaide Parklands Street Circuit is a temporary road course laid out on public streets through the East Parklands next to the Adelaide CBD, assembled each year and dismantled once the event is over. Today's Supercars-era layout runs 3.219 kilometres and 14 turns, shorter than the 3.780-kilometre, 16-turn version used for the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix from 1985 to 1995, but it shares the same DNA: a long, high-speed run down Dequetteville Terrace, known as Brabham Straight after triple World Champion Jack Brabham, into a heavy braking zone at the Britannia roundabout hairpin, and the Senna Chicane at the end of the pit straight, named in honour of Ayrton Senna after his death in 1994. A new 4.13-kilometre, 15-turn version of the circuit, following the same historic footprint, is under construction for MotoGP's arrival in November 2027 and will also host Supercars from that point.

Named corners and sections

• Senna Chicane. A chicane at the end of the pit straight, named in honour of Ayrton Senna after his 1994 death.
• Brabham Straight (Dequetteville Terrace). The circuit's long, high-speed straight, named for triple Formula 1 World Champion Jack Brabham.
• Britannia Roundabout. A hairpin formed from a public roundabout, the braking zone at the end of Brabham Straight.
• Stag Turn. A named corner in the circuit's infield section.
• Brewery Bend. A named corner referencing a nearby former brewery site.

Configurations

Events and race weekends

The circuit's marquee event is Supercars' season-ending round, held under various sponsor names since 1999 - most recently the bp Adelaide Grand Final - and supported by GT World Challenge Australia, Porsche Carrera Cup Australia, SuperUtes and Super2 on the same November weekend. Between 1985 and 1995 the same streets hosted the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, one of the most fondly remembered races on the sport's calendar. A newly built version of the circuit is scheduled to host the first Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at a city-centre MotoGP venue from November 2027, running alongside the Supercars event on an expanded layout.

Getting there and parking

The circuit sits in the East Parklands, a five-to-ten-minute walk from Adelaide's CBD and Rundle Street, so most visitors simply walk in from city accommodation rather than drive. Adelaide Airport is about 10-15 kilometres south-west of the circuit, roughly a 20-25 minute drive or taxi/rideshare trip, and public transport and shuttle services run into the precinct on event days given the disruption to normal street parking around the track.

• Adelaide Airport (ADL) · about 20 min drive

Parking

Street parking around the circuit is heavily restricted during the event; most visitors walk in from CBD accommodation or use public transport and event shuttle services rather than drive to the gates.

Book accommodation in the CBD or East End as early as possible - because the circuit runs through inner-city streets, hotels within walking distance sell out well ahead of the November event, and prices rise sharply as it approaches.

Hotels and camping near Adelaide Parklands Street Circuit

Because the circuit is built on public roads inside Adelaide itself, the whole of the CBD and inner suburbs function as the event's accommodation base - there is no need to base yourself outside the city as there is for most Australian circuits. The East End and CBD hotels closest to Turns 4 and 8 and the Senna Chicane sell out first and command the highest prices, while North Adelaide, a short drive from the northern entrance gates, and the wider CBD offer a much larger pool of hotels and apartments for those happy to walk a little further. Rooms across the city fill up and prices climb noticeably in the weeks before the November Supercars weekend, so early booking matters more here than for almost any other event on the calendar.

Where to look

Adelaide CBD and the East End (closest to the circuit, highest demand), North Adelaide (a short drive from the northern gates), and the wider CBD/West End for more hotel and apartment choice.

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

The Adelaide Parklands Street Circuit cannot be driven by the public. It exists only as a temporary layout of ordinary city streets, assembled with barriers, grandstands and surface treatments in the weeks before the Supercars event and fully dismantled afterwards, so there are no track days, hot-lap experiences or ride days available on it at any other time of year.

Lap records

Spectator guide

The Barry Sheene Pit Straight grandstand is regarded as the best all-round seat for comfort, shade and pit-lane strategy, while the Senna Chicane grandstand is the pick for pure overtaking action and the Brock Straight grandstand looks onto Turn 8. A general admission ticket lets fans walk almost the entire perimeter of the circuit inside the precinct to find their own vantage point, and organisers say shade covers around 70 per cent of grandstand seating. A clear-bag policy is enforced at the gates.

Seating

Named grandstands include Barry Sheene Pit Straight, Senna Chicane, Brock Straight (Turn 8) and Pit Entry, each with a big screen; general admission covers most of the outer perimeter.

Best places to watch

Barry Sheene Pit Straight for all-round comfort and pit strategy; Senna Chicane for the closest racing and overtaking.

Bag policy

No clear-bag policy applies. Cooler bags are welcome but hard-cased eskies and ice boxes are not, and you can't bring alcohol, glass or any drink whose seal is broken. Folding chairs and stools are allowed; other chairs, lounges and benches are not.

Weather

• Nov: Adelaide late spring: warm, generally dry days often in the mid-to-high 20s°C, with an occasional hot northerly spell

History of Adelaide Parklands Street Circuit

The Grand Prix years

Adelaide won the rights to host the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in a surprise announcement in 1983, beating better-fancied capital cities with a bold plan to run the race on temporary street circuits through the East Parklands. The first Adelaide Grand Prix ran on 3 November 1985 on a 3.78-kilometre, 16-turn layout, and the race quickly became a fan favourite as the championship's traditional season finale, prized for its tight, tree-lined streets, its street-party atmosphere and its habit of producing dramatic title-deciding results. Eleven Grands Prix were held at Adelaide between 1985 and 1995 before the Australian Grand Prix moved to a purpose-built circuit at Melbourne's Albert Park for 1996.

Supercars takes over

Losing Formula 1 did not end motor racing in the parklands. A shortened, 3.219-kilometre, 14-turn version of the circuit reopened in 1999 for what is now Supercars' championship, running first as the Sensational Adelaide 500 and then, from 2000 to 2017, as the Clipsal 500 under naming-rights sponsor Clipsal - a name so widely used that many South Australians still call the event "Clipsal" even though the sponsorship ended years ago. Later naming deals have included the Superloop Adelaide 500 (2019-2020), the VAILO Adelaide 500 (2022-2024) and, from 2025, the bp Adelaide Grand Final, reflecting the event's status as Supercars' season-ending grand final.

A new circuit and MotoGP's arrival

The original 16-turn Grand Prix layout briefly returned for a one-off 2000 event before the shorter Supercars configuration became permanent. In 2026 the South Australian government confirmed a $96 million project to build a new, 4.13-kilometre, 15-turn version of the circuit following the historic Grand Prix-era footprint, to host the first Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at a city-centre MotoGP venue from November 2027 under a six-year deal running to 2032, with Supercars also moving onto the expanded layout. Landmarks including the Senna Chicane plaque have been relocated as part of the works, a visible sign that after four decades the parklands circuit is entering its biggest physical change since 1985.

Frequently asked questions

Other tracks nearby

• Adelaide International Raceway · 26 km · road course & oval
• Mallala Motor Sport Park · 58 km · road course
• The Bend Motorsport Park · 92 km · road course
• Calder Park Raceway · 628 km · road course & oval (Thunderdome dormant)
• Albert Park Circuit · 654 km · street circuit
• Sandown International Motor Raceway · 675 km · road course