Your guide to Sunday at the VAILO Adelaide 500

It’s been an epic three days of the VAILO Adelaide 500 but we’ve saved the best for last!

 

A full day of championship-deciding races and a chock-full line-up of off-track experiences will ensure there’s something exciting to see and do wherever you look.

 

But with just one day to do it all – or do it all again – these are the highlights.

 

 

ON TRACK HIGHLIGHTS

 

SUPERCARS

 

Will Brodie Kostecki make his 2023 Supercars Drivers championship win even sweeter by winning his first Adelaide trophy?

 

Or will one of the other 24 drivers beat him to the chequered flag first?

 

It’s not the overall points winner of the weekend who is awarded the 2023 VAILO Adelaide 500 title, trophy and winner’s wreath but whoever wins Sunday’s 250km race, no matter where they finished the race on Saturday.

 

Supercars’ Teams championship is also still up for grabs, meaning the fight between CocaCola Racing by Erebus and Red Bull Ampol Racing is not over yet!

 

Sunday’s Supercars action is not to be missed, and they will hit the Adelaide street circuit for three big sessions over the course of the day – at 10.15am for qualifying, 12.05pm for the Top Ten Shootout and 2.45pm for the final two-hour, 250km race.

 

It will not only be the final race of the year but also the final time many drivers will be with their teams before they move on in 2024.

 

There’ll be nothing for them all to lose so you can bet they will all be racing hard to win.

 

Those leaving include Shane van Gisbergen’s final time in Supercars before he heads to the US to race in 2024, so fans of the New Zealand ace will no doubt want to cheer him off.

 

Meanwhile popular local drivers Scott Pye and Todd Hazelwood also will not race full time next year and will want to win in front of the home crowd more than ever.

 

Whatever the result and whoever wins, however, there are sure to be some epic burnouts completed at the end of the race that should not be missed.

 

SUPPORT CATEGORIES

 

All six support categories will race with the thundering S5000 Australian Drivers Championship open-wheelers the first to take to the circuit at 8.30am.

 

2023 championships in GT World Challenge, Porsche Carrera Cup, Touring Car Masters and Dunlop Series will also be decided, so those drivers in contention will be going ALL IN to pass or defend their rivals, which will provide edge-of-your-seat racing.

 

Still, the S5000 Drivers Championship and V8 SuperUtes won’t disappoint, with every driver to do all they can to make sure they leave the last event of the year a winner.

 

 

OFF TRACK HIGHLIGHTS

 

GOLDEN NORTH FERRIS WHEEL

 

There’s no other view of the Adelaide street circuit quite like the one you’ll get by taking a spin on the 35-metre high ferris wheel.

 

Out one side of your gondola are the race cars tearing around the circuit; out the other, the motorcycle and BMX stunt riders flying through the air.

 

Icecream maker Golden North is celebrating its 100th anniversary by providing free rides on the ferris wheel for all ticketholders.

 

RAAF JET FLYOVER

 

Keep your eye on the skies at 2.10pm for the RAAF F-35A Lightning II flyover – although you’ll hear it and likely feel it before you see it.

 

Have ear muffs and ear plugs handy to protect your ears because the jet will make them tingle, although that won’t stop the noise waves from reverberating through your heart.

 

The F-35A was recorded at 129 decibels during Saturday’s 10-minute flyover – about 30 decibels louder than the Supercars are allowed to be – catching some fans by surprise and making most others stop in their tracks no matter where they were around the circuit.

 

After the air display, it’ll return to make one last pass over the top of the circuit just before the start of the Supercars race.

 

KINDIG CUSTOM CAR SHOW

 

After three days of judging, we find out which custom-built vehicles on display for the Kindig Custom Car Show are taking home the trophies in the Elite, Street Elite and Show N’ Shine categories.

 

If you haven’t drooled over the immaculate paintwork and dropped your jaw at what the owners have achieved with their custom modifications, all cars will remain on display on Sunday.

 

AFTER RACE CONCERT

 

Just because the racing has stopped, it doesn’t mean the party is over!

 

Kick on at the Concert Oval at the After Race Concert, where Gaz Coombes, sneaky Sound System and Lufthaus will warm up the stage before headline act, international pop superstar Robbie Williams, finishes the weekend off on the highest note from 8.30pm.