Fast Facts: OTR SuperSprint

1) This year marks the fifth visit by the Repco Supercars Championship to The Bend Motorsport Park after making its debut in 2018, when it became the fourth venue in South Australia to ever host a round of the RSC (and previously the Australian Touring Car Championship). In addition to single visits in 2018 and 2019, the venue hosted two rounds during the 2020 season.

2) Todd Hazelwood celebrates his second career milestone in as many rounds at this weekend’s OTR SuperSprint. After notching up his 100th championship race start at Symmons Plains, the Brad Jones Racing driver will make his 50th championship round start on home soil at The Bend.

3) Dick Johnson Racing has the most Supercars championship race wins at The Bend Motorsport Park with six wins across the 10 races held. Scott McLaughlin’s wins at last September’s OTR SuperSprint represent the team’s most recent race victories; DJR scored its best results of 2021 so far at Symmons Plains with a second and a third for new recruits Anton De Pasquale and Will Davison in Race 3.

4) The front row of the grid at The Bend has produced the bulk of the race winners across the 10 championship races held; five came from the ARMOR ALL Pole Position, while a further four came from second on the grid. The outlier is Fabian Coulthard’s victory in Race 1 of last year’s Repco SuperSprint – the Kiwi started from fifth on the grid.

5) Almost half of the current Repco Supercars Championship field have either won a race or stood on the podium at The Bend. Points leader Shane van Gisbergen leads the group with a pair of victories, while Cameron Waters, Jamie Whincup and Fabian Coulthard all have one win apiece; Chaz Mostert, Anton De Pasquale, Will Davison, Jack Le Brocq, Andre Heimgartner, David Reynolds and Bryce Fullwood have all notched at least one podium finish.

6) Cam Waters has been the form driver in ARMOR ALL Qualifying in 2021. His average qualifying position of 2.88 – including three pole positions – has the Tickford Racing driver well ahead of his closest rivals, Red Bull Ampol Racing duo Jamie Whincup (4.25) and Shane van Gisbergen (4.63). Waters’ most recent race win came in the most recent championship race at The Bend in September 2020.

7) Victories for home-state Supercars racers have been a rarity on South Australian soil. Of the 101 ATCC/Supercars championship races held in the state so far, only two have been won by locally born or raised drivers: Russell Ingall (1998 Mallala, Race 2) and Nick Percat (2016 Adelaide 500, Race 3). The best result for a local at The Bend is fourth place, a mark shared by Tim Slade (2018 Race 2) and Nick Percat (2019 Race 2, 2020 West Race 3).

8) Only six drivers have completed all 320 racing laps held so far in the 2021 Repco Supercars Championship across the first three rounds: Red Bull Ampol Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen and Jamie Whincup, Erebus Motorsport’s Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki, IRWIN Racing’s Mark Winterbottom and Brad Jones Racing’s Todd Hazelwood.

9) Two wildcard entries will swell the grid to 26 cars this weekend and both drivers have past Supercars race experience at The Bend. Tickford Racing’s Thomas Randle made his ‘main game’ debut at the venue in 2019, while Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Kurt Kostecki raced at The Bend’s inaugural Supercars round in 2018.

10) Only two drivers are making their maiden Supercars visits to The Bend this year, but a third is making their debut on this particular layout. Erebus Motorsport duo Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki will make their first championship starts at the circuit, while Matt Stone Racing’s Jake Kostecki makes his first start on the International layout after making his The Bend debut in last year’s round on the West layout.