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Classic Adelaide |
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The Classic Adelaide Rally is a four day
closed-road, special stage event based in Adelaide, South
Australia. The event was initiated in 1997 and is open to 'classic' cars
manufactured prior to 1971. In 2002 the management
of the event changed and it was extensively enhanced to make it attractive
to a wider range of entrants. The principal changes were as follows:
The general structure of the previous event has been maintained and it still comprises three events run concurrently
In the short time since its inception the event has successfully encouraged participation by overseas entrants and in particular support from manufacturers such as Mercedes Benz. It has quickly established itself as a high profile event of international standing with appeal both in Australia and overseas. The event is held at a time when Adelaide and the surrounding Mount Lofty Ranges are in in full 'Spring' and apart from the brilliant roads selected for use in this event, the splendid scenic vistas make this an event to remember. Event Format The Classic Adelaide starts from the Adelaide Hilton in the city centre and does a 300 km loop through a different section of the surrounding countryside each of the four days. The cars pass through the wine and regional tourist centres of the State from the Barossa Valley in the North down to the South ocean. The daily routes have a series of competition road sections on the course which are closed off to normal traffic and the public one hour before the competition cars are due and two hours after the last car has finished the 'closed-stage'. Each competitor is timed one-by-one, 1 minute apart over these closed sections. The purpose of the competition is to achieve the best possible aggregate time, to the nearest second across these 'closed-stages'. The winner is the driver who completes the 4-day course and all the closed-stages in the best time. Competitors also compete for class awards and trophies in their different eras. The Classic Adelaide Rally also has a 'Tour' section designed especially for Classic era cars in showroom condition. These vehicles are not part of the competition, but take part in the event over the same course, but at lower speeds, as the vehicles in the 'Competition' section The Classic Adelaide 'International Parade' now called "Thoroughbred" section caters for visiting International entrants who represent Museums, Manufacturers or who in many cases are past race and rally champions driving rare and priceless historic cars. The Parade entrants follow the rally course, but are not timed or part of the 'Competition' section. All competitors stay at the Adelaide Hilton in the city's Victoria Square for the entire rally. Special functions are organised around the event. Gouger Street, next to the Hotel is closed off on the Friday night for a 'Street Party' and the rally finishes there on the Sunday afternoon. A black-tie Gala Presentation Dinner is held after the finish on Sunday night and is attended by the Premier of South Australia and Adelaide dignitaries to present the winners with their trophies and celebrate the event finale. Reports on previous Classic Adelaide Rallies are provided on this site to provide a feel for the event. For further information contact: Jean Mansell Telephone: (08) 8227 0666 Fax: (08) 8227 0611 The email address is:
jean.mansell@silverstoneevents.com |
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