The 2003 Adelaide 500 (known for naming rights reasons as the 2003 Clipsal 500 Adelaide) was the fifth running of the Adelaide 500 race. The event served as the opening round of the 2003 V8 Supercar Championship Series and was held from March 21 to 23, 2003.

The weekend was won by Mark Skaife after claiming second in the first race of the event and winning the second race on Sunday. Marcos Ambrose won the first race and proved Skaife's strongest opponent of the weekend. However, suspension failure in the second race led him to retire and allowed Skaife to comfortably claim round honours.

The weekend presented a new dawn by way of a set of regulation changes known as Project Blueprint, designed to standardise the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon platforms and ensure strict competitive parity.

Background The format, unique to V8 Supercars, and loosely similar to the Pukekohe 500 format, splits the 500 kilometre event into two separate 250 kilometre-races, each held on a different day. Points were assigned separately to the races, with Race 2 paying double points over Race 1 (180 points for a win in Race 1 and 360 points for a win in Race 2), and they combined to award a round result. The defending event winner from 2002 was Mark Skaife of the Holden Racing Team.

Entry list

There were 34 drivers entered into the event. It featured mixture of vehicle models - eight AU Ford Falcon's, eleven BA Falcon's, five VY Commodore's, and ten VX Commodore's.

This event marked the last V8 Supercar entry for Paul Romano, who entered with his privateer outfit. This was also the debut V8 Supercar event for New Zealander David Thexton. Thexton would enter his privateer team having purchased the assets from the recently-defunct Paragon Motorsport. Mark Noske would make his solo V8 Supercar debut with his family team, Noske Motorsport.

Official results Qualifying Jason Bright claimed provisional pole position by five hundredths of a second over nearest competitor, Mark Skaife.

Pos No Driver Team Vehicle Time 1 50 Jason Bright Paul Weel Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 1:22.2745 2 1 Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VY) 1:22.3381 3 4 Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 1:22.3728 4 11 Steven Richards Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 1:22.7533 5 17 Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 1:22.9382 6 888 John Bowe Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 1:22.9479 7 51 Greg Murphy Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 1:22.9517 8 2 Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VY) 1:23.0173 9 34 Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VY) 1:23.0453 10 9 Russell Ingall Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 1:23.2297 11 3 Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:23.3161 12 15 Rick Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 1:23.3274 13 5 Glenn Seton Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 1:23.3811 14 66 Dean Canto Briggs Motorsport Ford Falcon (BA) 1:23.3938 15 8 Paul Dumbrell Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 1:23.4476 16 44 Simon Wills Team Dynamik Holden Commodore (VY) 1:23.4757 17 29 Paul Morris Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VY) 1:23.5521 18 6 Craig Lowndes Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 1:23.7632 19 23 Mark Noske Noske Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:23.7997 20 21 Brad Jones Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 1:23.8477 21 33 Jamie Whincup Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:23.8759 22 75 Anthony Tratt Paul Little Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:23.8861 23 31 Steven Ellery Steven Ellery Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 1:23.8920 24 16 Paul Weel Paul Weel Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 1:23.9179 25 021 Craig Baird Team Kiwi Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 1:23.9580 26 20 Jason Bargwanna Larkham Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:23.9645 27 19 David Besnard Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:24.0216 28 10 Mark Larkham Larkham Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:24.1538 29 00 Greg Ritter 00 Motorsport Ford Falcon (BA) 1:24.2541 30 7 Rodney Forbes 00 Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:24.2793 31 65 Paul Radisich Briggs Motorsport Ford Falcon (BA) 1:24.8681 32 24 Paul Romano Romano Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 1:25.7642 - 18 Max Wilson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (BA) no time DNQ 99 David Thexton Thexton Motor Racing Ford Falcon (AU) did not qualify

Top ten shootout Bright successfully converted his provisional pole position pace into the shootout, setting a time nearly one tenth of a second faster than Skaife. This marked the first V8 Supercar pole position for Paul Weel Racing.

Pos No Driver Team Vehicle Time 1 50 Jason Bright Paul Weel Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 1:23.3729 2 1 Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VY) 1:23.4608 3 4 Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 1:23.7897 4 51 Greg Murphy Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 1:24.0266 5 11 Steven Richards Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 1:24.1633 6 17 Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 1:24.2497 7 888 John Bowe Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 1:24.3838 8 2 Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VY) 1:24.7252 9 9 Russell Ingall Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 1:25.0673 10 34 Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VY) 1:26.6227

Leg 1 Pos No Driver Team Vehicle Laps Time/Retired Grid 1 4 Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 78 1hr 55min 06.9486sec 3 2 1 Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VY) 78 + 2.206 2 3 50 Jason Bright Paul Weel Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 78 + 15.827 1 4 11 Steven Richards Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 78 + 19.640 5 5 2 Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VY) 78 + 25.290 8 6 17 Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 78 + 27.398 6 7 9 Russell Ingall Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 78 + 38.029 9 8 3 Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 78 + 42.342 11 9 15 Rick Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 78 + 46.584 12 10 51 Greg Murphy Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 78 + 48.438 4 11 8 Paul Dumbrell Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 78 + 48.801 15 12 65 Paul Radisich Briggs Motorsport Ford Falcon (BA) 78 + 50.775 31 13 34 Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VY) 78 + 53.225 10 14 16 Paul Weel Paul Weel Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 78 + 53.542 24 15 20 Jason Bargwanna Larkham Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 78 + 58.539 26 16 44 Simon Wills Team Dynamik Holden Commodore (VY) 78 + 1:02.679 16 17 33 Jamie Whincup Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 78 + 1:04.064 21 18 5 Glenn Seton Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 78 + 1:07.194 13 19 75 Anthony Tratt Paul Little Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 78 + 1:14.659 22 20 66 Dean Canto Briggs Motorsport Ford Falcon (BA) 77 + 1 lap 14 21 021 Craig Baird Team Kiwi Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 77 + 1 lap 25 22 00 Greg Ritter 00 Motorsport Ford Falcon (BA) 77 + 1 lap 29 23 10 Mark Larkham Larkham Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 77 + 1 lap 28 24 21 Brad Jones Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 76 + 2 laps 20 25 7 Rodney Forbes 00 Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 74 + 4 laps 30 26 18 Max Wilson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 74 + 4 laps 33 27 29 Paul Morris Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VY) 73 + 5 laps 17 28 45 Jason Richards Team Dynamik Holden Commodore (VY) 73 + 5 laps 34 29 31 Steven Ellery Steven Ellery Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 59 + 19 laps 23 Ret 23 Mark Noske Noske Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 52 Retired 19 Ret 19 David Besnard Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 49 Retired 27 Ret 888 John Bowe Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 48 Retired 7 Ret 24 Paul Romano Romano Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 45 Retired 32 Ret 6 Craig Lowndes Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 35 Engine 18 Fastest Lap: Marcos Ambrose (Stone Brothers Racing) - 1:23.4783 on lap 56 Source:

Leg 2 Pos No Driver Team Vehicle Laps Time/Retired Grid 1 1 Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VY) 78 2hr 09min 50.4167sec 2 2 11 Steven Richards Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 78 + 1.746 4 3 16 Paul Weel Paul Weel Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 78 + 10.128 14 4 65 Paul Radisich Briggs Motorsport Ford Falcon (BA) 78 + 12.275 12 5 2 Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VY) 78 + 12.517 5 6 50 Jason Bright Paul Weel Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 78 + 13.208 3 7 6 Craig Lowndes Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 78 + 13.944 34 8 8 Paul Dumbrell Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 78 + 16.086 11 9 44 Simon Wills Team Dynamik Holden Commodore (VY) 78 + 17.753 16 10 5 Glenn Seton Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 78 + 18.465 18 11 51 Greg Murphy Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 78 + 19.535 10 12 9 Russell Ingall Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 78 + 19.554 7 13 00 Greg Ritter 00 Motorsport Ford Falcon (BA) 78 + 23.666 22 14 021 Craig Baird Team Kiwi Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 78 + 23.812 21 15 34 Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VY) 78 + 24.106 13 16 10 Mark Larkham Larkham Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 78 + 27.050 23 17 23 Mark Noske Noske Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 78 + 27.340 30 18 21 Brad Jones Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 78 + 29.021 24 19 20 Jason Bargwanna Larkham Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 78 + 40.895 15 20 29 Paul Morris Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VY) 77 + 1 lap 27 21 7 Rodney Forbes 00 Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 77 + 1 lap 25 22 33 Jamie Whincup Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 76 + 2 laps 17 23 888 John Bowe Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 65 + 13 laps 32 24 15 Rick Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 62 + 16 laps 9 Ret 17 Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 75 Accident damage 6 Ret 4 Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 73 Suspension 1 Ret 19 David Besnard Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 71 Retired 31 Ret 66 Dean Canto Briggs Motorsport Ford Falcon (BA) 66 Accident 20 Ret 3 Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 54 Retired 8 Ret 18 Max Wilson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 50 Driver injury 26 Ret 24 Paul Romano Romano Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 15 Retired 33 Ret 75 Anthony Tratt Paul Little Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1 Accident 19 Ret 45 Jason Richards Team Dynamik Holden Commodore (VY) 1 Accident 28 DSQ 31 Steven Ellery Steven Ellery Racing Ford Falcon (BA) Disqualified 29 Fastest Lap: Mark Skaife (Holden Racing Team) - 1:23.2731 on lap 20 Source:

Notes – Russell Ingall was given a 10-second penalty after he was deemed to have gained an advantage by spinning Greg Murphy in the final laps. – Craig Baird was given a 3-second penalty for a driving infringement.

Round results Pos No Driver Leg 1Points Leg 2Points TotalPoints 1 1 Mark Skaife 93 96 189 2 11 Steven Richards 87 93 180 3 50 Jason Bright 90 81 171 4 2 Todd Kelly 84 84 168 5 65 Paul Radisich 63 87 150 6 16 Paul Weel 57 90 147 7 8 Paul Dumbrell 66 75 141 8 9 Russell Ingall 78 63 141 9 51 Greg Murphy 69 66 135 10 44 Simon Wills 51 72 123 11 4 Marcos Ambrose 96 21 117 12 5 Glenn Seton 45 69 114 13 34 Garth Tander 60 54 114 14 17 Steven Johnson 81 24 105 15 15 Rick Kelly 72 27 99 16 20 Jason Bargwanna 54 42 96 17 00 Greg Ritter 33 60 93 18 021 Craig Baird 36 57 93 19 3 Cameron McConville 75 12 87 20 10 Mark Larkham 30 51 81 21 33 Jamie Whincup 48 33 81 22 6 Craig Lowndes 78 78 23 21 Brad Jones 27 45 72 24 7 Rodney Forbes 24 36 60 25 23 Mark Noske 9 48 57 26 29 Paul Morris 18 39 57 27 66 Dean Canto 39 15 54 28 75 Anthony Tratt 42 42 29 888 John Bowe 3 30 33 30 18 Max Wilson 21 9 30 31 19 David Besnard 6 18 24 32 45 Jason Richards 15 15 33 31 Steve Ellery 12 12 DNF 24 Paul Romano DNQ 99 David Thexton

Statistics Provisional Position - #50 Jason Bright - 1:22.2745 Pole Position - #50 Jason Bright - 1:23.3729 Fastest Lap - #1 Mark Skaife - 1:23.2731 (new lap record)

External links