Australia’s newest motor sport facility, The Bend Motorsport Park, plays host to the next round of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship this weekend.
With all eyes on Championship leader, Scott McLaughlin, the Ford Mustang pilot will be eager to further extend his lead at the top of the standings and withstand the charge from the Holden Commodores who excelled at the first ever Supercars outing at the track last year.
The news
Richie Stanaway returns to the main game after a lengthy layoff thanks to a neck injury that kept him sidelined.
Stanaway put his neck to the test in a recent outing in a S5000 car at Winton, getting through unscathed and also showing off his passion for open-wheelers.
Meanwhile, young gun Thomas Randle joins the main game this weekend in a Tickford wildcard entry,
The former CAMS PAYCE Australian Formula 4 Championship driver will be behind the wheel of the speedy Ford Mustang, eager to impress and put his hand up for a full time drive in the future.
The milestones
Will Davison notch up his 200th Championship round start at The Bend this weekend. After making his debut at Winton in 2004, the two-time Bathurst winner will become the 16th driver in Supercars history to reach the milestone.
Meanwhile, Triple Eight will also have reason to celebrate, with this round officially marking their 500th Supercars Championship race start. The Red Bull backed team are the fifth team in the current pit lane to celebrate the impressive feat.
For the fans
Tickets are on sale for the weekend, with a wide range of options for those interested in making a trip to South Australia’s premier motor sport facility.
All spectator info, including tickets, track maps and more can be found right here.
As a bonus, all ticket holders automatically have access to the Supercars paddock, giving fans a unique opportunity to go behind the scenes and meet their favourite drivers.
Merchandise, simulators, live music, signing sessions and plenty more activities will be on show all weekend.
The schedule
Aside from the main show, the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship will be supported by Aussie Racing Cars, Radical Australia Cup, Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia, Kumho Super 3 Series and the Historic Touring Cars.
The full track schedule is available here.
The Grid
#2 Holden ZB - Scott Pye
#3 Nissan Altima - Garry Jacobson
#5 Ford Mustang - Lee Holdsworth
#6 Ford Mustang - Cameron Waters
#7 Nissan Altima - Andre Heimgartner
#8 Holden ZB - Nick Percat
#9 Holden ZB - David Reynolds
#12 Ford Mustang - Fabian Coulthard
#14 Holden ZB - Tim Slade
#15 Nissan Altima - Rick Kelly
#17 Ford Mustang - Scott McLaughlin
#18 Holden ZB - Mark Winterbottom
#19 Holden ZB - Jack Le Brocq
#21 Holden ZB - Macauley Jones
#22 Holden ZB - James Courtney
#23 Ford Mustang - Will Davison
#33 Holden ZB - Richie Stanaway
#34 Holden ZB - James Golding
#35 Holden ZB - Todd Hazelwood
#55 Ford Mustang - Chaz Mostert
#66 Ford Mustang - Thomas Randle
#78 Nissan Altima - Simona De Silvestro
#88 Holden ZB - Jamie Whincup
#97 Holden ZB - Shane van Gisbergen
#99 Holden ZB - Anton De Pasquale
The standings:
Virgin Australia Supercars Championship Top Five after Queensland Raceway:
Scott McLaughlin – 2438 points
Fabian Coulthard – 2005
Shane van Gisbergen – 1918
Chaz Mostert – 1898
Jamie Whincup – 1798
Last time they were here:
The Bend was a very happy hunting ground for the Holden teams in 2018, with Red Bull claiming P1 in both races, as well as qualifying.
Pole positon in 2018: Jamie Whincup (1:50.1371)
Race one:
1st – Shane van Gisbergen
2nd – Rick Kelly
3rd – Michael Caruso
Race two:
1st – Jamie Whincup
2nd – Shane van Gisbergen
3rd – David Reynolds