Supercars driver Nick Percat revs up the praise for The Bend Motorsport Park

THE Bend hosts its first Supercars event in two months and drivers including Nick Percat already are revved up to race at what they claim is the best track yet.

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BATHURST may be the spiritual home of Australian motorsport and the Adelaide 500 the most-attended event — but drivers say Tailem Bend has the best racetrack.

Those who have tasted the newest motorsport facility in Australia, The Bend Motorsport Park about 100km east of Adelaide, have hailed the 4.95km course as the best in Australia since the first event was held in April.

Yesterday, a select group of race fans and media also agreed after taking part in hot laps of the circuit with Supercars driver Nick Percat at the launch of the OTR SuperSprint Supercars event to be held August 24 to 26.

Supercars driver Nick Percat, from Brad Jones Racing, takes The Advertiser journalist Cara Jenkin on a hot lap in a course car at the launch of the OTR SuperSprint at The Bend. Picture: AAP/David Mariuz

There has been a lot of hype about this racetrack and to be honest I was a little sceptical that it would really be true before strapping into the Holden Commodore course car beside Percat.

But even cruising down pit lane on the way out to the circuit, you can tell this is a world-class facility.

The purpose-built hotel and pit building looms down at us as we cruise past, then the wide circuit opens up — and we’re off.

This track has a lot more corners than the Adelaide 500 track. Unlike at the street circuit, Percat has no concrete walls to worry about, instead making the most of the wide open spaces to ride the kerbs.

I can hear the tyres screeching on the tarmac and rubbing on the kerbs as we go around each one of them. We’re going so fast — over 100km/h most of the way and close to 200km/h in pit straight — that I’m thrown from left to right in my seat as the car drifts around corners, that also seem to go a bit up and down as much as left and right.

We streak along pit straight, then Percat brakes hard less than 150m from the corner and we go around again.

Racing around Australia’s newest racetrack at The Bend Motorsport Park, Tailem Bend. Picture: AAP/David Mariuz

He later tells us that even he is not sure of the braking references yet, seeing as he has only completed about five laps around the circuit — equal to the number of people he has taken for hot laps before me.

If the drivers get a small break during a lap, it is also extremely picturesque — the South Australian countryside rolling out before us and turning into an endless blue sky mottled with clouds. At the end I have to say seven-time and reigning Supercars champion Jamie Whincup perhaps said it best via video message to the launch:

“This is the best racetrack in this country I’ve ever seen and is something that the people in South Australia should be very, very proud of,” he said. “We can’t wait to get there in August and do what we do best and get to the finish line first for the first time.”

I’m very proud of it. I can’t wait either.