The Best Places to View

Cara Jenkin

06 Nov 2024

Each part of the VAILO Adelaide 500 offers a new perspective but there are some places to be that are better than others to see key highlights.

If you’re new to the Adelaide street circuit or still deciding where best to go to take in the action, these are some tips to help you make the most of your experience.

SEE THE RACE CARS AT THEIR BEST

There is nothing like being able to feel the rumble of the Supercars as well as all the support categories as they sit on the starting grid or push down the accelerator to get the race started.

A Barry Sheene Pit Straight grandstand seat is the best way to get the vibrations into your bones, as well as watch the race cars fly past at high speed lap after lap.

Other grandstands are located at key action points of the circuit, including the thrills and spills of Senna Chicane, the high speed of Brock Straight and Turn 8, and the near misses at Pit Entry and the Hairpin.

Where there’s a grandstand, there will be space nearby for general admission ticketholders to view too, so use them as a guide of where to park your folding chair brought from home.

Track officials put gravel traps at Turns 5 and 11 for a reason – as that’s where race cars tend to head if they’re a little out of control – so in general admission, head to these parts to see the cars battle each other up close through the corners.

STADIUM SUPER TRUCKS IN FULL FLIGHT

The Stadium Super Trucks are a fan favourite among motorsport fans and most of the best places to see them in action are accessible in general admission.

The best place to see them in full flight as they accelerate and fly over a jump is from any vantage point alongside Brock Straight.

For an up-close look of the race trucks as they battle eachother for position and slide on two wheels through a corner, try watching from Turn 5, where you’ll also see them race through Turn 4.

Or if you don’t want to miss a minute of their antics, there’s a Superscreen at Turn 11.

AIR FORCE FLYOVERS

You’ll want an uninterrupted view of the sky to see the F/A-18F Super Hornet and Air Force Roulettes team perform their displays above the VAILO Adelaide 500 circuit.

General admission ticketholders will best be able to look up without having their view hindered by trees from the northern side of Brock Straight, in Merchandise Alley or at the Concert Area.

If you’re in a grandstand seat, head down to the Gold Zone for the best view, as the shade on the grandstands may obstruct some of their manoeuvres.

Don’t forget to take note of the time of the displays – both to ensure you’ve secured a good spot to see it, and so that the noise of the plane doesn’t catch you by surprise!

PIT LANE SHENANIGANS

Pit stops can make or break a race for Supercars drivers and teams and Adelaide’s pit lane has seen everything from cars making contact and ending up sideways to unfastened bonnets blocking car windscreens.

Don’t miss a minute of the pit-lane dramas with a seat in Barry Sheene Pit Straight grandstand, which provides a clear view across the track to all the pits, no matter where in the grandstand your seat is located.

Or, for a birds-eye view looking down on how the teams operate during a pit stop, you can’t go past a place in one of the pit pavilion’s shared hospitality suites such as The Drivers Lounge.

For a unique view, grab a Paddock Pass to get access to wander behind the pits and stop to watch your favourite team conduct their pit stop from the back of their garage.

DRIVER CELEBRATIONS

When the race car drivers win races – and at the season finale, championships – they are always keen to celebrate in their car.

Turn 9 is where most of the celebratory burnouts occur. General admission ticketholders can see the action from inside this corner but a ticket in Brabham Grandstand will give you the best view.

Special permission is given, however, for the Supercars championship winner to celebrate in pit straight.