CLIPSAL 500 KICK STARTS RACE FOR 2016 CHAMPIONSHIP
Australian motor racing great Craig Lowndes will create history when the 2016 V8 Supercars Championship kicks off this weekend with the Clipsal 500 Adelaide.
Lowndes, a three-time V8 Supercars champion and six-time Bathurst winner, will compete in his 251st championship event, overtaking the record he previously shared with retired veteran Russell Ingall.
It will be one of a number of highlights at the season opener after a massive off-season for V8 Supercars with half of the field moving teams, sponsors and even manufacturers.
2014 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 winner and rising star Chaz Mostert will make his long awaited return to V8 Supercars after his horrific crash at Mount Panorama last October.
It will also be an historic weekend for the V8 Supercars Dunlop Series with two females in Renee Gracie and Chelsea Angelo starting on the grid alongside 15 year-old Alex Rullo, the youngest ever driver of a V8 Supercar.
V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton said: “Craig Lowndes is a legend of Australian motor sport and one of Australia’s greatest athletes. In 2015 he became the first driver to win 100 races in V8 Supercars and this week he will create more history when he breaks the record for the highest number of Championship rounds.
“2016 promises to a really exciting year for V8 Supercars. The grid has expanded to 26 cars, we have new formats and a calendar that will see more regular racing including our first championship event in Kuala Lumpur in August.”
Clipsal 500 Adelaide kicks off on Thursday March 3, with the V8 Supercars’ first practice session on Friday March 4.
V8 Supercars will provide daily media alerts and video news releases of activity in Adelaide, starting this Wednesday March 2.
Clipsal 500 Adelaide will be broadcast live in HD on Network Ten and FOX SPORTS. Network Ten Chief Executive Officer, Paul Anderson said:
“We are very excited about the launch of our TEN HD simulcast on Channel 13 on March 2. Nothing beats watching HD on the big screen at home and we are delighted to showcase our sporting and general entertainment content in the highest possible quality – starting with the eagerly anticipated first leg of the 2016 V8 Supercars calendar, the Clipsal 500.”
Click here for all the event information you need, including ten fast facts about the Clipsal 500 Adelaide.
RACE WEEK MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES
Opportunities available this week ahead of the Clipsal 500 Adelaide are:
MEDIA CALL - ONE DAY TO GO RC CHALLENGE
What: V8 Supercars Champion Mark Winterbottom, teammate Chaz Mostert and HRT stars James Courtney and Garth Tander go head to head with remote control Stadium Super Trucks one day before the big event kicks off.
Where: Traction Zone, Clipsal 500 Event Precinct
When: 2pm – 3pm, Tuesday 1st March
Interviews: Mark Winterbottom, Chaz Mostert, James Courtney and Garth Tander
Vision/Photos: Mark Winterbottom, Chaz Mostert, James Courtney and Garth Tander racing each other with RC trucks
Contact: Steve Cox, TLA Worldwide – 0423 298 665
FAN ACTIVATION - RED BULL PIT STOP CHALLENGE
What: Red Bull Pit Stop Challenge. Jamie Whincup & Shane van Gisbergen are taking over the streets of Adelaide with a lap of the CBD in a roaring Red Bull Racing Australia V8 Supercar. Lucky Clipsal fans will also have the opportunity to team up with JW and SVG in the ultimate pit stop challenge against the clock in Rundle Mall.
Where: Rundle Mall, Adelaide (outside ANZ off Charles Street)
When: 11am – 12:30pm, Wednesday 2nd March
Interviews: Jamie Whincup & Shane van Gisbergen
Vision/Photos: Jamie Whincup and SVG V8 Supercar and competing in pit stop challenge with fans
Contact: Jude Coen, PR Manager V8 Supercars – 0419 425 406
LEGENDARY DRIVER CRAIG LOWNDES CELEBRATES RECORD BREAKING MILESTONE
What: Craig Lowndes celebrates 251st race start, making him the record holder for the most event starts of any driver in ATCC/V8SC history.
Where: The Jetty, Glenelg Beach
When: 9-9:30am, Thursday 3rd March
Interviews: Craig Lowndes
Vision/Photos: Lowndes will celebrate down at Glenelg Beach with a giant sized sand sculpture of his No 888 VF Holden Commodore and surrounded by 251 flags
Contact: Nick Johnston, GM PR & Communications V8 Supercars – 0419 538 936, Jude Coen, PR Manager V8 Supercars – 0419 425 406