Supercars will hold a Grand Final for the first time this November as part of its radical new format, with the Adelaide street circuit to host the title decider.
That makes Adelaide the newest host city for a major sporting Grand Final, a significant honour given that the likes of the AFL and NRL Grand Finals are locked into Melbourne and Sydney respectively.
With no immediate talk of a rotating Grand Final, the Adelaide event has the potential to establish itself as a traditional host like is seen in the major football codes.
At the same time, it’s feasible that other Supercars events could look to wrangle what is now a guaranteed title decider off Adelaide in the future.
Mark Warren, chief executive of event organiser the South Australian Motorsport Board, isn’t shying away from competition for the Grand Final slot.
“I actually think that’s a great thing,” he told Speedcafe. “A little bit of competition in anything spawns greatness
“The event that we put on is massive. And if we can get other events to try and chase that down, and to want to be the Grand Final, what a fantastic thing. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery.
“And I think that there’s a few shaping up. It will be great to see the Perth street circuit really come alive when that comes around, and we’d love to see a massive grand slam event back in New South Wales as well.
“We’re more than happy to take that challenge on, and we like to innovate every year. Come get us.”
The Grand Final move ensures Adelaide will see a proper title showdown for the first time, with the 2022, 2023 and 2024 title fights having fizzled out by the final round.
That was something already on the SAMB’s radar before Supercars proposed the new Finals format.
“We went through quite a strategy discussion with Supercars and for the last three years we’ve been talking to them about having the Adelaide round being a definitive decider for the championship,” explained Warren.
“So the idea, when it came up, about having a Finals series fitted that perfectly. It was pretty much a no brainer for us to say, ‘okay, let’s understand the detail, but the concept, love it.
“Setting up being the destination for the Grand Final here in Adelaide every year is a winner. And I think that when you look at the detail of how they structured the Finals series, it actually creates through-year interest as to who’s going to win the Sprint Cup, then the Enduro Cup.
“It’s all about the pathway to greatness, to be the final one on the podium at the end, winning the Grand Final.”
Adelaide will host the Supercars Grand Final on November 27-30.
A pre-sale period for four-day grandstand tickets has now started for existing four-day ticket holders and members of the ADL Podium Club (or new members that join before 5pm ACDT on January 31).
The remaining four-day passes will go on public sale later in the year.
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