Supercars drivers, cars roll out in Adelaide
A swathe of Supercars drivers and cars have hit the track at the returning Adelaide Motorsport Festival, held at the site of the VALO Adelaide 500.
The popular Adelaide Motorsport Festival is being held for the first time since 2018, and has attracted major star power.
Notably, Sunday’s action will see Formula 1 star Valtteri Bottas get behind the wheel of a Bathurst-winning Commodore Supercar.
A group of Repco Supercars Championship drivers have sampled unique machinery at the event.
The three-day event is a sprint meeting around a shortened version of the Adelaide 500 circuit in Victoria Park.
The weekend is headlined by Formula 1 cars, with F1 racing in Adelaide between 1985 and 1995.
Seven-time Bathurst winner Craig Lowndes drove the 1986 Benetton B186 BMW.
Percat's Porsche Pic: Adelaide Motorsport Festival
Joining Lowndes in the F1 category was Tim Slade, who steered a 1988 Arrows A10B Megatron.
Second-year Tickford Racing driver Thomas Randle who drove the 1989 Leyton House CG891 Judd into town on Friday night.
The 2020 Super2 champion also got behind the wheel of the Tipo F1 Reynard 90D F3000.
CoolDrive Racing Ford recruit Todd Hazelwood — a proud South Australian local — has steered a McLaren Artura.
Walkinshaw Andretti United Ford star Nick Percat, meanwhile, lapped a Porsche 997 Cup Car which has been returned to his Coates Hire livery.
Three-generation driver and Super3 rookie Jett Johnson is also steering a Chase Elliott NAPA-liveried Chevrolet NASCAR.
After its F1 days, Adelaide hosted Supercars season-openers between 1999 and 2020, before returning as the season finale in 2022.
Johnson's NASCAR Pic: Adelaide Motorsport Festival
Several former Supercars have also hit the track, with the likes of Nulon Racing team owner Peter Xiberras and 2016 Bathurst winner Jonathon Webb on site.
There are 23 five-litre and Supercars on show, including the last ever Holden Commodore winner — the ZB Commodore Broc Feeney drove to victory in Adelaide last year.
Webb drove the Stix-liveried ZF Commodore he and Will Davison drove to victory in the 2016 Great Race.
The #19 Tekno Commodore will later he driven by Bottas on Sunday.
Jamie Whincup’s 2013 and 2014 championship winner is also on show, along with a former James Courtney HRT VF Commodore, a Rick Kelly HSV Dealer Team VZ Commodore and a Mark Skaife HRT VE Commodore.
The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the Beaurepaires Melbourne SuperSprint on March 30-April 2.
The VALO Adelaide 500 will round out the 2023 season in November.
