The Bend SuperSprint

The Bend SuperSprint (formally known as the OTR SuperSprint – The Bend) was an annual motor racing event for Supercars, held at The Bend Motorsport Park in Tailem Bend, South Australia from 2018 to 2019.[1]

The Bend SuperSprint
Race Information
Venue The Bend Motorsport Park
Number of times held 2
First held 2018
Last held 2019
Race Format
Race 1
Laps 24
Distance 120 km
Race 2
Laps 41
Distance 200 km
Last Event (2019)
Overall Winner
Scott McLaughlinDJR Team Penske
Race Winners
Scott McLaughlinDJR Team Penske
Scott McLaughlinDJR Team Penske

Format

The event was staged over a three-day weekend, from Friday to Sunday. Four thirty-minute practice sessions were held, two on Friday and one each on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday featured a three-stage knockout qualifying session which decided the grid positions for the following 120 kilometre sprint race. Sunday featured a repeat of the Saturday qualifying format with a longer 200 km race distance following.[2]

The event ran on the 4.9km "International" configuration of the circuit.[3] The event was also open to "wildcard" entries, allowing teams and drivers from the Super2 Series support category to take part in the top tier.[1]

History
Jamie Whincup at the 2018 event.

The Bend Motorsport Park, the first permanent circuit to be opened in Australia since Queensland Raceway in 1999, signed a memorandum of understanding to host a future Supercars race early in the construction process in 2015.[4] Following final approval from the Government of South Australia, the circuit was added to the 2018 calendar with an August date, the first time the state has held two championship events in a season since Adelaide International Raceway hosted two rounds in 1977.[5][6]

The inaugural event was dominated by Triple Eight Race Engineering, with two poles and two race victories shared between Shane van Gisbergen and Jamie Whincup.[7] The 2019 event was again dominated by a single team, with DJR Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin winning both races from pole position.[8]

From 2020, the sprint event was due to be replaced on the championship calendar by a new endurance race at the circuit, which was scheduled to replace the Sandown 500 in Supercars' Enduro Cup.[9][10] However, The Bend ended up being dropped entirely in a shortened calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]

Winners
Year Driver Team Car Report
2018 Shane van Gisbergen Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden ZB Commodore Report
2019 Scott McLaughlin DJR Team Penske Ford Mustang GT Report

Event sponsors

See also

References
  1. "Supercars reveals 16 event 2018 calendar". Speedcafe. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  2. "Supercars Operations Manual 2019 - Division "A" - Administration Rules" (PDF). Supercars. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  3. "Bend Motorsport Park confirms Supercars 2018 slot". Speedcafe. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  4. Cook, Craig (14 June 2015). "Tailem Bend Motorsport Park: the plan for SA's second V8 race". The Advertiser. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  5. Bartholomaeus, Stefan (22 June 2017). "SA Government backs Tailem Bend Supercars event". Supercars.com. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  6. Bartholomaeus, Stefan (8 January 2018). "Tailem Bend buoyed by early ticket sales". Supercars.com. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  7. Herrero, Daniel (26 August 2018). "Whincup wins, van Gisbergen takes points lead". Speedcafe. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  8. Herrero, Daniel (25 August 2019). "McLaughlin equals Lowndes with 16th race win of 2019". Speedcafe. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  9. Bartholomaeus, Stefan (24 August 2019). "The Bend joins 2020 PIRTEK Enduro Cup". Supercars. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  10. Howard, Tom (28 August 2019). "Supercars drops QR, Phillip Island in revised 2020 calendar". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  11. "Sandown Takes Traditional Spot on Newly Revised Supercars Calendar". Auto Action. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
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