The Clipsal 500 Adelaide, round one of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, is Australia’s largest domestic motor sport event. First held in 1999 it is run on a unique street circuit winding through the city streets in the East End of Adelaide as well as the  Eastern Parklands of Adelaide. It is the premier annual sporting event in the South Australian summer calendar and the South Australian Motor Sport Board are rightly proud of what it has developed. Australian Staging and Rigging is proud to have been  involved with the Clipsal 500 since its inception. Over the last ten years crowd numbers have risen from 160,000 in the first year to 290,000 in 2008. Alongside this the organisers are committed to continually improving what they offer to patrons. These factors, coupled with ASR's reputation for customer service have led to the company's involvement  increasing to the point where we are now one of the major providers of infrastructure for the event and it is the single biggest recurrent event ASR is involved.

The ever increasing popularity of the Clipsal 500 Adelaide has meant a large increase in demand for corporate viewing facilities, reserved grandstand seating and the need for better public viewing. As our result ASR involvement has also steadily increased over the years. The scope of work for the 2008 Clipsal event included the following;
• Over 2500 bleacher seats which are located in the general admission areas around the circuit
• Over 3500 temporary grandstand seats located in various locations around the track
• Over 15,000 square metres of raised corporate hospitality platforms utilising over 1000 tonnes of scaffolding.
• Camera towers, disabled viewing platforms, wheelchair access ramps and a range of smaller services.
• A uniquely designed ‘clear span’ corporate platform allowing unparalleled viewing for corporate clients

Numerous challenges face the crew during the four months they are working on this event;
• Weather is always a factor and this year Adelaide sweltered through the longest heat wave in recorded history. Despite this all work was completed on schedule.
• Building in the parklands has its own specific challenges. ASR employees take this aspect very seriously and in all instances take great care not to cause any harm to the environment.
• The increased emphasis on OH and S is acted upon positively and responsibly. Working in the construction industry OH and S comes as second nature to our employees.
• Not everything that happens can be predicted! ASR maintains a full standby crew for the duration of the event and are always on hand to fix something or give another contractor a hand.

The success of any large scale operation such as setting up the infrastructure for the Clipsal 500 Adelaide relies on cooperation and team work and this is one of the areas ASR excels in. Australian Staging and Rigging is one of the first contractors on site and has a permanent presence at the track for over 4 months until the dismantling is almost completed. A detailed build schedule is planned well in advance and as soon as we complete one stand or corporate platform the next contractor is waiting for access. Flooring, marquees, AV equipment and power all need to be installed so the more efficient ASR is the sooner these contractors can complete their work. During the building and dismantling ASR maintains a high level of communication with the project managers and other contractors to help keep the flow of work at the right pace.

The overall look and feel of any event is integral to its success and this has been a considerable factor  in the success of the Clipsal 500 Adelaide. With this in mind ASR has invested a considerable amount of time into researching and developing many new products and components which are not only functional and compliant to industry standards but are also aesthetically pleasing. Corporate clients in particular enjoy being able to entertain in good looking facilities and the attention to detail provided by ASR really makes a difference.