A Brief History of  Adelaide International Raceway

Adelaide International Raceway was originally the dream child of Keith Williams (Hamilton island fame). Keith opened the raceway in January 1972 and it remained in an almost ‘raw’ state until 1982 when the complex was purchased by the Bob Jane Corporation.
Minor improvements were undertaken at this time such as tree planting and the establishment of lawns in the pit areas but when council permission was sought for a major revamp it was discovered that the change of council zoning did not allow for any upgrade of the track. It was a extremely long process but in 1994, work commenced on a long awaited upgrade  of facilities.
In the past four years the changes are the removal of the old spectator stands  and replaced with mounds which will be terraced and lawn. this will continue along the  drag strip. With mound one (Port Wakefield road) already complete.
The old timing tower and VIP facilities have been pulled down and replaced with several new buildings and an excellent paved VIP area for corporate sponsors and have established a start line hospitality  club with the best seats in the house. The pits have doubled in size stretching from the spectator mounds to Bob Jane Drive.
Another area that has been upgraded is the timing lights. This might not be so obvious to the spectators, but it has been excellent for the racers and the commentators are able to give the public a much better description of what’s happening, including reaction times and 60ft times of the racers.
The upgrading of the track is a mammoth task and is being undertaken over a 5 -7 year plan. The result of all this work will be that Adelaide International Raceway will be one of the premier racetracks in Australia and to be admired the world over.
Date set for Adelaide strip (review)