The Bend Motorsport Park certification by FIM makes it Australia’s newest MotoGP circuit
IN a small River Murray town that many Australians have never heard of, Miles Kemp reports on the people writing the next chapter of South Australia’s proud motorsport history.
BEFORE you ask, the answer is no, and probably always will be — South Australia is not going to get the Formula 1 back.
But as the state develops the nation’s newest motorsport circuit, a round of the MotoGP, the world’s premier motorcycle racing event, could become possible.
Most South Australians would have no knowledge of the significance of The Bend Motorsport Park’s certification by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) to potentially host a round of the MotoGP.
But with revelations in The Advertiser this week of the final approval and date for a Supercars round at The Bend at Tailem Bend next August, the push is on to spread the word that SA is ready to be a major motorsport player again.
The announcement is the first solid proof for an eager public that The Bend can attract major events. It is proof that it is not just the pipe dream of the wealthy and car-crazy Shahin family.
The 7.77km circuit, which is 53 minutes drive from Adelaide, is expansive even by world standards.
Supercars Commission member Brad Jones, who also runs the famed Brad Jones racing team, on Tuesday praised the greenfields site which has begun locking in major events despite still being six months away from completion.
The latest Supercars event will be the first to take The Bend to a “huge national and international audience’’ which, when it hits TV screens, will make the public aware of circuit’s potential.
“This track is completely different to the street circuit used in the Adelaide 500 and we’re confident that with its world-class design, the racing will be just as exciting and memorable for fans,” Mr Jones said.
At the circuit on Tuesday, his name and that of up-and-coming SA supercars driver Nick Percat — a Clipsal 500 winner — were added to the long list of identities excited by the prospect of a ground-up greenfields development.
Supercars were there to make the announcement, as was Premier Jay Weatherill to survey what taxpayers have been given for an investment so far of $10.5 million.
South Australian car nuts speak in hushed excitement of the glory days of the state’s motorsport history, the racers, their circuits and the cars the state made for them. Although it culminated between 1985 and 1995 with the Grand Prix, this history has enjoyed many incarnations before and since.
Prior to 1985, SA was already a national player in motorsport, partly thanks to the significance of the Holden and Chrysler manufacturing.
For decades from 1961, major events were held at Mallala, where a circuit under various names hosted a local Australian version of the “Grand Prix”, the Australian Touring Car Championship, Australian Super Touring Championship, V8 Supercar Development Series, Australian Drivers’ Championship, Australian Formula 2 Championship, Australian Sports Sedan Championship, Australian Nations Cup Championship and Australian GT Championship. More recently, for almost two decades the race known until losing its major sponsor as the Clipsal 500, has kept SA’s name in the national spotlight with a weekend of Supercars racing which has been heralded as second only to the Bathurst 1000 in significance for Australian petrol heads.
One Shahin in particular, known in the family company Peregrine Corporation as Dr Sam, is the motorsport brains behind The Bend.
Also this year he bought the Mallala circuit, once the jewel in the crown of SA motorsport. He is adamant that the circuit will live on, as was the dying wish of its former owner the late Clem Smith, himself one of the sport’s legends in SA.
His one cautionary note is that The Bend Supercars event will not rival the Adelaide 500’s 250,000-plus crowds. Organisers expect 50,000 to start with. But Dr Sam is convinced the facility will become a fan favourite nationally.
Surrounded by camp grounds, open paddocks, dirt roads, the historic town and the nearby Murray River, the Tailem Bend site will become a mecca for the fans that have no interest in street circuits, city traffic or expensive hotels.
The Bend will be the go-to event for people with a Ford ute, a Commodore station wagon, a tent or a caravan.
When completed The Bend plans to be everything to everybody, on four and two wheels at least. Australia’s only purpose built drift track is expected to be open in early 2018.
The national standard karting circuit is also expected to be open in early 2018. The 4WD Adventure Park and proving ground provides everything from novice trails to advanced proving ground obstacles and will be open in early 2018. A rallysprint track, rallyschool and a dragway are also planned.
The breadth of the development is no lost on the youthful Nick Percat. “There are a lot of young kids in Adelaide who have a dream of being a racing car driver but maybe haven’t had the opportunity,” he said.