--- title: bp Adelaide Grand Final date: 2026-08-11T14:51:00+09:30 author: Simple canonical_url: "https://www.simple.com.au/work/bp-adelaide-grand-final" section: Case Studies --- - bp Adelaide Grand Final - Branding - Advertising - Production - Graphic Design - Strategy - 3D & Motion Design The bp Adelaide Grand Final is the premier event on the Supercars Championship calendar, raced on Australia’s most iconic street circuit. While the event had a fiercely loyal motorsport following, it was competing for attention against a growing calendar of major Australian sporting events. Our challenge was to create a brand that could excite existing fans while giving new audiences another reason to connect with the event. We reimagined the identity to feel faster, sharper and more progressive, without losing its connection to motorsport culture. ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271920%27%20height%3D%272400%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ## A brand system built to move. Custom typography drew inspiration from performance brands, speed and automotive design, becoming the foundation for a wider graphic system of line work, framing devices and dynamic layouts. The traditional red associated with motorsport was replaced with a distinctive palette of black, purple, green and silver, reflecting the technology, innovation and energy of modern racing. Three-dimensional brand assets captured the movement and intensity of the cars, while flexible expressions allowed the identity to stretch beyond Supercars into the event's broader world of entertainment, adrenaline and action. ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271920%27%20height%3D%271080%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271920%27%20height%3D%272400%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271920%27%20height%3D%272400%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271920%27%20height%3D%271080%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271920%27%20height%3D%272400%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271920%27%20height%3D%272400%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271920%27%20height%3D%271080%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271920%27%20height%3D%272400%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ## One for the pool room. Supercars reshaped its season finale, retiring the traditional points-decider format in favour of a true grand final: a season-long championship battle condensed into a single, winner-takes-all weekend in Adelaide. Grand finals are baked into Australian culture. One date, one city, everything on the line. But a motorsport grand final was new territory, and naturally fans had questions. Research made it clear that before we could sell the excitement, we had to explain the event. The problem was, explainer videos can be dry, functional and skippable. Exactly the opposite of what a Supercars finale should feel like. Our strategy focused less on writing a better explainer, and more on finding someone who would make people want to watch one. Enter Eric Bana. ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271920%27%20height%3D%272400%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) Play An Australian hero and a lifelong fan of car culture, Eric has both mainstream cultural and racing clout. And as a natural storyteller, he walked audiences through what the grand final format actually means, why four drivers is the whole point and why the four days in late-November are unmissable. The result was a campaign that spoke fluently to diehard fans, gave the event a level of cultural weight it hadn’t had before, and for the first time, made the *“how does this actually work?”* conversation part of the excitement, rather than a barrier to it. Almost thirty years after Darryl Kerrigan first declared something "one for the pool room" in The Castle, Bana's turn fronting the bp Adelaide Grand Final earned the campaign the same honour. ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271920%27%20height%3D%271080%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271920%27%20height%3D%271080%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271920%27%20height%3D%271080%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271920%27%20height%3D%272400%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271920%27%20height%3D%272400%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ## Motorsport's newest troublemaker. As the event evolved beyond racing into a broader world of entertainment and family experiences, the brand needed characters that could open the door to a new generation of fans. To do so, we brought to life Wheeliam, a rolling, talking, tyre from a proud racing family, equal parts loyal sidekick to his best mate Petey, and tireless troublemaker. Rather than creating a mascot that simply wore the brand, we gave Wheeliam a personality, history, ambition and an entire friendship with Petey built around motorsport culture. Their stories are packed with familiar racing references, from go-karts and pit crews to burnouts and dodgy meat pies. Together, they extend the energy and ambition of the brand into a world younger fans can connect with. ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271920%27%20height%3D%272400%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E)