Supercars Championship to return to The Bend twice in September as SA wins back V8 races
A major sporting event will return to SA twice in September when The Bend Motorsport Park hosts two rounds of the Supercars Championship on successive weekends.
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South Australia can celebrate not one but two V8 Supercar rounds in September when the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship returns to The Bend Motorsport Park.
Owner Dr Sam Shahin revealed to The Advertiser successful negotiations with VASC meant four 200km “supersprint” format races would be held on the weekends of September 19-20 and 26-27, after the scheduled August event was cancelled because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Dr Shahin said tickets would go on sale at www.thebend.com.au on Tuesday morning, with prices to be determined after the final go-ahead on spectator numbers from state health authorities.
It is the first time in the history of the sport that SA will host three weekends of events, after the Superloop Adelaide 500 was held before COVID-19 restrictions hit.
VASC will announce the deal on Monday morning, with an unknown number of fans guaranteed entry despite COVID-19 social distancing.
The changes come with a new date for the Bathurst 1000 of October 18, one week later than had been planned.
“We are hugely proud that The Bend, as the 2019 international motorsport facility of the year, can host these two events,’’ Dr Shahin said.
“We are the only venue that can lay claim to have hosted international events in the last year both for cars with the Le Mans series and bikes with the road racing series.”
As a special treat for race fans, Dr Shahin said the facility was trying to have V8s race on the longest of The Bend configurations, a 7.77km circuit which is the second longest GT-rated in the world.
One likely support category will be showcasing The Bend Classic cars – around 100 vehicles, some priceless and many the only of their type in the world – which will gather at the venue this weekend and be asked to return for the VASC.
Dr Shahin said he hoped to have a Holden tribute day at one VASC round and a Ford tribute at the other.
And the Coorong District Council has been offered a street party again this year, pending safety restrictions, likely to be held in the week between the two rounds.
Dr Shahin said the agreement with VASC meant the facility would have to undertake around six months’ preparation work in just three weeks, including sourcing 200 marshals and volunteers.
The first round at The Bend is likely to attract an even bigger national audience as it replaces the iconic Sandown weekend, which is the second most watched in Australian motorsport circles.
“One of the biggest challenges will be organising support categories with travel restrictions, and we are calling all racing categories from SA and Queensland to come and support us,’’ he said.
Dr Shahin said he was confident a large number of fans would easily be accommodated at the venue, even if social distancing of one person per four square metres was demanded, as the site is a total of 8 million square metres.
“The call is out to all the wonderful people involved in motorsport in this state to show what we can deliver under pressure,’’ he said.
“It is almost unthinkable to deliver these events in three weeks but we will deliver.
“This is about how we can learn how to live and organise again in the post-pandemic atmosphere and we have to be able to work with adversity.”