The SA government is yet to publicly present its formal plan for the biggest-ever shake-up to the Adelaide Parklands circuit that is also home to the Supercars Grand Final.
But one thing has become clear – the intention is for MotoGP and Supercars to utilise the same circuit layout, with tweaks made in between to suit the four-wheel machines.
Adelaide’s plan for MotoGP involves using a modified version of the longer layout originally conceived for the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix in 1985.
Its return will mean bypassing the Supercars circuit’s most infamous corner – the fearsome, 200km/h+ right-hand sweeper known simply as Turn 8.
The corner was introduced as the result of the shortening of the original F1 circuit for the first Adelaide 500 in 1999.
Utilising Bartels Road instead of Rundle Road initially involved an awkward, tyre-bundle lined chicane, before a makeover in 2002 that resulted in what we know today.
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Turn 8 has long been contentious and various safety-focused tweaks have occurred over the years – including an overhaul in the aftermath of Ashley Cooper’s tragic accident in 2008.
But the challenge of threading between the barriers at high-speed has remained the same, ensuring it’s simultaneously loved, respected and feared by drivers.
“That’s the best part of this track,” declared David Reynolds of Turn 8 at last year’s event, 12 months after suffering a heavy crash at the corner.
“It’s the danger, it’s the risk, it’s everything. That’s what makes the circuit so awesome.
“When you get it right you feel like the King, but when you get it wrong, you feel like a dickhead. That’s what we love.”
Turn 8 is being bypassed on the mooted MotoGP layout for logistical reasons – the move back to international competition requiring the bigger circuit.
But the corner is also the antithesis of what motorcycles demand, as was evident in the SA Motorsport Board’s recent presentation to Supercars drivers and teams.
“The track that’s going to get built is for MotoGP and we’re going to have to make it work a little bit,” noted Triple Eight star Broc Feeney.
Adelaide organisers sought feedback from the V8 fraternity on what temporary changes they can make to wall and kerb profiles to ensure the Grand Final retains its spectacle.
“The biggest thing is you want it to be a proper street track,” added Feeney, whose father raced motorcycles.
“The only thing I can help advise them on in this situation is to put the walls on the edge of the track everywhere.
“You don’t want to lose any sense of a street track and obviously MotoGP is not going to have any walls directly on the exit of the corners.
“I’d like it to have a proper street track feel, put proper barriers around the outside.
“If we lose Turn 8, that will be a shame. It’s one of the most historic and prominent corners in our calendar.
“But hopefully it’ll create some other cool stuff.”
The last point is what Adelaide is currently promising – including for the returned ‘Brewery Bend’ corner that effectively replaces Turn 8 on the planned layout.
“Some of the speed profiling we’ve done already shows that the speeds are very similar to what the current Turn 8 is,” said SA motorsport board boss Mark Warren last month.
“Obviously, we need to make sure that it’s going to be safe for the next 10, 20 years to come, but don’t take away too much of the consequences if drivers do get it wrong.”
The Supercars Championship returns to street circuit action this weekend with the NTI Townsville 500, with Adelaide set to decide the champion across November 26-29.
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