Naming rights partner and wildcards unveiled for first ever Supercars event at The Bend
The inaugural round of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship to be held at Australia’s newest motorsport facility, The Bend Motorsport Park, will be known as the OTR SuperSprint.
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall visited The Bend this afternoon to inspect the purpose-built motorsport facility, the first of its kind. The last permanent racing circuit in Australia was built in Australia in 1999.
Also announced today was two wildcard entries for the first ever OTR SuperSprint, current Dunlop Super2 Series drivers Macauley Jones and Kurt Kostecki.
South Australian product and Bathurst 1000 and Adelaide 500 winner Nick Percat also attended today’s visit to the venue, and to inspect the circuit first-hand just over eight weeks out from the OTR SuperSprint.
“It’s a really challenging and technical circuit that is going to test all the drivers,” Percat said.
“Getting a look at the circuit, you can see a number of areas you expect will be high-speed and turns that are going to be critical to get right when we start racing here.
“Everyone will be pushing to be at the front from opening practice through to the final race on the Sunday, so I think it will be a great weekend of racing.”
Since opening in April this year, the venue has already impressed the motorsport community, including seven-time Supercars Champion Jamie Whincup, who after a recent visit hailed the circuit as world class.
“The Bend is one of the best race tracks this country has ever seen and it’s something, in particular South Australians, should be very, very proud of,” Whincup said.
“We can’t wait to get there in August to do what we do best, battle it out hard and fair, and try to get to be the very first driver to win a Supercars race there.”
Over 25,000 thousand spectators and casual visitors have experienced the park so far, either attending major events or enjoying the circuit first hand through The Bend’s membership program.
Executive Director at The Bend, Dr. Sam Shahin said “We are so thrilled to have had such an overwhelmingly positive response from visitors to the facility in the short period of time we’ve been open to the public. We’re looking forward to showcasing the venue on a national and international stage in August when Supercars arrive. There is still a lot of exciting development to come.”
Dr. Shahin says the event is already bringing benefits to the local community, with tourism providers receiving hundreds of bookings ahead of this year’s Supercars event.
“Accommodation providers within a 50km radius of the venue including the unique 100 room Rydges Pit Lane Hotel are already close to or fully booked,” Dr. Shahin said.
“Spectators can roam the circuit and enjoy viewing angles from every turn, or grandstand seating which offers comfort and a reserved seat.
“The main pit building offers spectators a unique panoramic view that overlooks much of the circuit via our hospitality suites.
“Fans can also experience trackside camping, which has proved popular with just under half of the 600+ sites booked within less than a week of going on sale.”
The inaugural OTR SuperSprint will feature five support categories; Kumho Tyre V8 Touring Car Series, Aussie Racing Cars Championship, Toyota 86 Racing Series (for the first time in South Australia), Formula Ford National Series and the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia.
OTR is an Australian-owned convenience store brand that has grown from a single family-operated petrol station in a Western Adelaide suburb to over 130 Convenience Stores. The company offers an extensive range of groceries, famous food brands, barista-made coffee, high-quality petrol, and boasts a state-of-the-art smartphone app that is integral to the company’s goal of ‘Making Life Easy’.
It also recently launched Australia’s most generous retail giving program – OTRGive allowing customers to choose who the business donates to with every transaction.
Yasser Shahin, Executive Director at OTR said this of the partnership, “OTR is thrilled to be the founding sponsor of such an exciting event for so many motorsport fans. OTR is ‘Making Life Easy’, which often means providing 24 hour access to quality food and beverages, and practical solutions to many of life’s family needs, but is also about enabling communities to enjoy the things they live for at a grander scale. For many people, the OTR SuperSprint is exactly that.”
Established in 1984 and fully owned by the Shahin family, Peregrine Corporation is now one of the Top 15 private companies in Australia and the largest private company in South Australia.
The first ever OTR SuperSprint will run from 24-26 August. Tickets are available via www.thebend.com.au.
27th July 2018