Supercars announced in September that Adelaide will remain on the schedule in 2021, but move to the end of the schedule
It was then planned to replace the Newcastle 500 as the season finale next season, only for the South African government to now decide to pull the pin completely
In a statement, the South Australian Tourism Commission said it was forced to cancel the event « after careful consideration of a number of factors, namely the impact of COVID- 19 on one of the state’s largest organized events and the inability to recover costs in the event of a pandemic ”
« The Superloop Adelaide 500 has been an event icon for over 20 years, and this decision was made with careful consideration, » SA Premier Steven Marshall told Adelaide Advertiser
« COVID-19 has presented significant challenges for the events industry, and uncertainty and other factors have become an insurmountable obstacle in the difficult situation to organize a successful race
« South Australia is the benchmark for hosting world-class events, and we will continue to invest in this space to create local jobs
« We remain a strong supporter of motorsport and will act quickly to assess all options for future motorsport events »
South Australian Tourism Commission Managing Director Rodney Harrex added: “South Australia is one of the premier venues in the country and around the world, and we will continue to invest in a range of sporting, cultural and artistic events to stimulate the visitor economy
« Due to the high level of uncertainty around the event’s ability to take place in 2021, the likely impact on the event for the consumer and commercial market, and the long-term decline in the motorsport fan, a decision has been made that it will not be possible to organize the race next year and not to look for a contract for the coming years
« We’ve had discussions with Supercars for most of this year, working on possible scenarios. Ultimately, given the current circumstances, we are unable to deliver a sustainable and prosperous future for the event for next year and beyond »
The drop in crowds in recent years had led to question marks over the event’s future, even before the pandemic, but a new PR deal covering 2021 and 2022 suggested there was a short term future
With that linked to the announcement in September of a later date for 2021, the traditional season opener switched to the end of the year to increase the odds of a capacity crowd
The first versions of the 2021 calendar had it as the season finale, with the Newcastle 500 missing, before this latest twist
The Adelaide event has been an integral part of the Supercar calendar since 1999, when a slightly modified version of the old Australian Grand Prix layout was relaunched four years after the move from Formula 1 racing in Melbourne
The list of Adelaide 500 winners includes Jamie Whincup, Shane van Gisbergen, Mark Skaife, Marcos Ambrose, Garth Tander, James Courtney and Scott McLaughlin
Supercars Championship, Clipsal 500 Adelaide, 2021, Race, South Australia
World News – AU – The Adelaide Supercars race is over
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SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
