Facilities from scuttled Adelaide 500 Supercars event to be sold and taken to The Bend

Overpasses, grandstands and other items from the abandoned Adelaide 500 Supercars event will be auctioned off or given to The Bend racetrack.

Adelaide 500 overpasses, grandstands and other assets will be sold or transferred to The Bend racetrack as the State Government moves to bury the axed event.

It is understood an overpass and concrete barriers will be given to The Bend Motorsport Park, ahead of a Supercars event from May 7-9 – now the state’s sole race in that championship series.

Most of the temporary facilities once used to stage the Supercars race at the Adelaide street circuit will be auctioned off within months.

Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas, who has committed to returning Supercars to Adelaide if Labor wins next March’s state election, accused Premier Steven Marshall of sabotaging voters’ say on the race’s future.

Mr Marshall last November said any government-owned assets associated with the Adelaide 500 that could not be used for other events would be sold off “at the best return for taxpayers”.

The State Government and South Australian Tourism Commission last October announced the Superloop Adelaide 500 would not go ahead in 2021, saying the ongoing impact of COVID and declining interest in motorsport had made the marquee event unviable.

Chaz Mostert from Team Walkinshaw Racing, Scott McLaughlin from DJR Team Penske and Cameron Waters from Team Tickford Racing are seen on the podium after the Superloop Adelaide 500 at the Adelaide Street Circuit in Adelaide, Sunday, February 23, 2020. Picture: AAP / David Mariuz

It is understood grandstands, transportable buildings and concrete barriers are among items to be sold, once an auction house is contracted by the end of this financial year.

An SA Tourism spokeswoman confirmed the “process of disposing of assets and infrastructure” had started, following last year’s decision to scrap the race.

“There is a significant amount of items in storage and it is the financially responsible decision to divest equipment that is not required. The plan is to dispose of the assets as soon as an auction house is engaged,” she said.

SA Tourism also confirmed “several key assets” from Victoria Park would soon be taken to The Bend, about 100km southeast of Adelaide, to support it as “a key motorsport venue in SA”.

Mr Malinauskas said taxpayer-owned infrastructure should not be “flogged off in a rush to suit a political timeline” and again vowed to return the race.

“Rest assured, we will not be deterred. If elected, Labor will bring back the Adelaide 500 to the streets of Adelaide, bringing with it tens of millions of dollars of economic activity, thousands of visitors and hundreds of jobs,” he said.

“The people of South Australia have a clear choice.”