The Bend Motorsport Park

The Bend Motorsport Park
The Bend Motorsport Park - GT Circuit Layout.svg
GT circuit layout
LocationTailem Bend, South Australia
Time zoneUTC+09:30 (UTC+10.5 DST)
Coordinates35°18′30″S 139°31′0″E / 35.30833°S 139.51667°E / -35.30833; 139.51667Coordinates: 35°18′30″S 139°31′0″E / 35.30833°S 139.51667°E / -35.30833; 139.51667
FIA Grade2
OwnerPeregrine Corporation
Broke groundMarch 2016
Opened13 January 2018; 4 years ago (2018-01-13)
Major eventsCurrent:
Supercars Championship
The Bend SuperSprint
(2018–present)
Former:
Asian Le Mans Series (2020)
Australian GT Championship (2018–2019, 2021)
S5000 (2019)
Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships
GT Circuit
Length7.770 km (4.828 miles)
Turns35
Race lap record2:38.673 (Australia Aidan Read, Ligier JS P217, 2020, LMP2)
International Circuit
Length4.950 km (3.076 miles)
Turns18
Race lap record1:41.2560 (Australia Thomas Randle, Ligier JS F3-S5000, 2019, Australian S5000 Championship)
West Circuit
Length3.410 km (2.119 miles)
Turns12
Race lap record1:16.2224 (New Zealand Shane van Gisbergen, Holden ZB Commodore, 2020, Supercars Championship)
East Circuit
Length3.930 km (2.442 miles)
Turns22
Websitewww.thebend.com.au

The Bend Motorsport Park is a 7.770 km (4.828 mi) bitumen motor racing circuit at Tailem Bend, South Australia, 100 km (62 mi) south-east of the state capital, Adelaide.

The complex has a bitumen circuit, drag racing strip, and drift racing circuit.

The race circuits are of a high international standard and licensed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) for car racing and the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) for motorcycle racing.

History

Circuit Construction progress in July 2017

In February 2015, Peregrine Corporation lodged plans with the Government of South Australia to redevelop the former Mitsubishi Motors Australia test track at Tailem Bend, South Australia. Approval was granted in May 2015 with construction commencing in March 2016. Initially titled the South Australian Motorsport Park, by the time construction commenced, The Bend Motorsport Park name had been adopted.

The address of the site was originally in Elwomple. In September 2017, before the facility opened, the boundary between Tailem Bend and Elwomple was adjusted so that The Bend Motorsport Park is officially in Tailem Bend, not Elwomple.

The first major event was the Revolve24 Endurance Cycling Challenge on 13–14 January 2018, an ultra-distance cycling festival featuring 24-hour, 12-hour and 6-hour races. It hosted The Bend SuperSprint, a round of the 2018 Supercars Championship, in August 2018. It has a desire to hold a MotoGP Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix round.

On 4–14 January 2019, the circuit hosted the 25th Australian Scout Jamboree. From January 10–12, 2020 it hosted a round of the 2019-20 Asian Le Mans Series season as the 4 Hours of The Bend and the Supercars sprint round will be replaced by a new endurance event, The Bend 500. The Supercars race was later dropped from the calendar altogether, in a shortened calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with circuit managing director Sam Shahin openly critical of the cancellation.

Sam Shahin also offered up the facility for Hotel Quarantine during the Covid pandemic, but this was not taken up by the South Australian Government.

Facilities

Jamie Whincup won the Sunday race at the first Supercars Championship event at the circuit in 2018.

International Circuit

Length: 4.950 km (3.076 mi)

  • Used for majority of events including Supercars, Superbikes and national series events, through to state racing, club racing and track hire

GT Circuit

Length: 7.770 km (4.828 mi)

  • Used for endurance racing, specialist racing events, private hire and test days. Hosted a four-hour Asian Le Mans Series event in January 2020.

West Circuit

Length: 3.410 km (2.119 mi)

  • Used for the majority of short track events. Includes club racing, testing, sprint events, “cruising” events, driver/rider training
  • Used for 2020 OTR SuperSprint The Bend event in 2020 Supercars Championship
  • Can be used independently from the East Circuit

East Circuit

Length: 3.930 km (2.442 mi)

  • Used for driver/rider training, drifting, testing, club days, private days
  • Can be used independently from the West Circuit

Pit building and hotel

Construction commenced in February 2017 for the 300 metres (980 ft) long pit building which includes hotel accommodation in the upper levels of the four-storey building. There are 34 pit garages. The 100 room Rydges Pit Lane Hotel opened in 2019.

Lap records

The official race lap records at The Bend Motorsport Park are listed as:

Category Time Driver Vehicle Event
GT Circuit: 7.770 km (2018–present)
LMP2 2:38.673 Aidan Read Ligier JS P217 2020 4 Hours of The Bend
LMP3 2:51.692 David Fumanelli Ligier JS P3 2020 4 Hours of The Bend
GT3 2:56.990 Alessandro Pier Guidi Ferrari 488 GT3 2020 4 Hours of The Bend
International Circuit: 4.950 km (2018–present)
S5000 1:41.2560 Thomas Randle Ligier JS F3-S5000 2019 The Bend S5000 round
GT3 1:49.0314 Garth Tander Audi R8 LMS Evo 2021 The Bend GT World Challenge Australia round
Supercars 1:49.4042 David Reynolds Holden ZB Commodore 2019 The Bend SuperSprint
TCR Touring Car 1:57.0504 Nathan Morcom Hyundai i30 N TCR 2019 2nd The Bend TCR Australia round
Formula Ford 1:57.5339 Angelo Mouzouris Mygale SJ18A 2019 The Bend Australian Formula Ford round
West Circuit: 3.410 km (2018–present)
Supercars 1:16.2224 Shane van Gisbergen Holden ZB Commodore 2020 OTR SuperSprint The Bend

This page was last updated at 2022-06-16 19:54 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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