Supercars’ greatest names struggle to get a handle of The Bend and its many variations
THEY have raced all over the world but even some of Supercars’ greatest names struggled to deal with the varied conditions at The Bend as the OTR Supercars opened the doors for the sport’s practice sessions.
SOUTH Australia’s new world-class track The Bend is shaping as Supercars racing’s ultimate mystery tour with the drivers grappling with the varied conditions.
The sport’s powerbrokers were mightily impressed as they arrived at the $110 million venue to take in the first day of meaningful track time for the drivers but it was quickly apparent that despite thorough preparations the drivers weren’t finding it easy.
Supercars top-liners such as Jamie Whincup, Scott McLaughlin, Mark Winterbottom and Craig Lowndes figured in the middle to lower order of the drivers during the first practice session and Supercars officials noted that it was taking longer for the drivers to adjust to this track than to previous new experiences such as Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Newcastle and Sydney under lights.
The exception was unflappable New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen, who had the fifth fastest lap in the first session and slew them convincingly by more than half a second in the second.
The order restored itself a touch in the second practice session in the afternoon but there were still notable absentees from the top-10 list in both sessions, among them championship leader and Race 1 favourite Scott McLaughlin and Lowndes.
But seven-time champion Jamie Whincup, who won the 2017 series, could not speak more highly of the test South Australia’s now motorsport showcase will present this weekend.
“It was great to get out there; we’ve done so much work in simulation before the weekend,” Whincup said. “It was good to finally get out in the car and see what it’s actually like.
“The track feels awesome.
“It’s just like a billiard table, has really nice flow and is massively challenging to get right — one corner leads into another.
“There’s a lot of grip out there but it bites pretty hard as well.
“It’s a challenge for everyone.
“No one is anywhere near the limit of maximising their car. We’re at the front at the field at the moment but there’s certainly a lot of time to come and we’ll expect a lot of people to make some big gains overnight.
“We’ve got plenty of work to do, everyone else has got plenty of work to do … while everyone goes home or has a beer at the pub tonight I think most of the engineers will be in the truck tonight trying to get the cars faster for tomorrow.”
Whincup said there wasn’t one particularly aspect that had challenged the drivers.
It was the complexity and variety of the circuit.
“It’s a massive challenge; it’s refreshing, actually,” he said.
How quickly the drivers and engineers adjust to the track after three practice sessions ahead of Saturday’s qualifying is set to play a big part in how the first weekend at the OTR SuperSprint at The Bend unfolds.