Bigger, louder, better: The Bend promises even more than its debut event
The V8 supercars are coming back to The Bend next weekend, and while the inaugural event was a roaring success — but organisers have made some changes to make this year’s event even better.
After a stunning Supercars launch in 2018, The Bend Motorsport Park owner Dr Sam Shahin announced his team had got the event “95 per cent right”.
Since then, that same team has spent a great deal of effort improving the Tailem Bend track to deliver even more high-octane thrills to fans at this year’s three-day OTR SuperSprint, which starts on Friday.
The 2019 Supercars event will deliver more of almost everything, from more fun, more grandstands and more toilets to more grass and more trees.
The speed of attendees’ cars getting out of the venue will be among the biggest changes, after last year’s near two-hour traffic jams on Saturday and Sunday nights.
There are now two more exits on to the Dukes Highway, as well as an additional temporary lane on the main exit from the track so that traffic can merge more easily. Eastbound traffic will have its own exit for the first time.
There is also a new backroads exit, which will link with the town of Tailem Bend directly from the north of the park. At Tailem Bend the Princes Highway happily turns into a dual-lane carriageway to Adelaide.
“We have had the best traffic experts in Australia on the job with police and Transport Department,’’ Dr Shahin explains.
“It is a totally new plan, which has basically doubled exit opportunities.”
And fans won’t be in as much of a rush to all leave at once after the racing ends.
A Saturday night rock concert is expected to thin the crowd, when AC/DC tribute band Back in Black will perform alongside local group Eleven.
SeaLink shuttle buses will be cheaper this year, which is hoped will take more cars off the road.
They will run return from Adelaide for $39 and from Murray Bridge and Mt Barker for $34. A three-day return will cost $79.
For the first time, paddock punters can buy a $10 ticket to see the classic car display and drink at the bar of the Rydges Hotel.
Other firsts for the event include fans being able to buy a ride with world famous Red Bull Air Race pilot Matt Hall.
And instead of just watching the cars, this year people can reach up to 75km/h on the go-kart track, or do a hot lap in a rally car.
Punters can also stay at the BIG4 Holiday Park at The Bend for the first time.
The drift track is open this year and Holden ace Shane van Gisbergen will join 30 drifters on Friday night in a supercharged Monaro. Some in the town felt a little cut off from the action last year, but they will be the focus when the main streets shut down on Thursday afternoon and evening for the Tailem Bend Street Park.
There will be car displays, stalls, music, and drivers Scott McLaughlin, van Gisbergen, Mark Winterbottom, Rick Kelly and South Aussie favourites Tim Slade and Todd Hazelwood will do signings from 5.30-6.30pm.
“The entire town is right behind this, the traders and the residents, and they extended the couple of hours to make it from 3pm to 10pm to put on a great show, so that is great,’’ Dr Shahin said.
Amenity has also been a major focus for The Bend team. There are 3000 new trees, more lawn, more grandstands and children will be better catered for with trackside activities.
There will be a large marquee and shade for people to sit down and watch a big screen away from track. Diehard fans can enjoy novelty performance cars and an aerobatics display, and there will be a much heavier on-track presence of old and new vehicles with the Aussie Muscle Car Run.
This will be split into three themes over weekend; All Horsepower Friday, Old and Modern Muscle Saturday and Chrome Bumper Sunday.
Support categories this year are the Radical Australia Cup, forty Historic Touring Cars, Carrera Cup, Super3 and Aussie Racing Cars.
Like the Adelaide 500, there won’t be any grid girls.
However, OTR’s community program, OTRGive, will have a representative from each of the dozens of charities it supports on the grid for the start of each Supercars race.
And for those who haven’t had enough action by Sunday night, Red Bull Holden Racing Team is doing a ride day for fans on Monday when their drivers will take fans on hot laps.