Shocks, Finals spots, standout co-drivers: Questions to be answered
The return to The Bend Motorsport Park comes with the return of the Ryco Enduro Cup, with two rounds left before we lock in our 10 Finals contenders.
The AirTouch 500 at The Bend is the first round in a blockbuster five-round run home across the Enduro Cup and the Repco Finals Series.
At 4.95km, The Bend Motorsport Park is as tricky as they come, and there are plenty of corners waiting to catch drivers out. Try that over 500km, with co-drivers and fickle weather, and we've got a race on our hands!
The Bend has thrown up some widl results in its history, and many different names have featured at the front over the years. Should it happen again this weekend, it could turn The Finals chase on its head.
As we hit race week at The Bend for the first time since 2023, Supercars.com highlights key questions that will be answered, thanks to Schick.
How will 500km at The Bend play out?
Supercars return to Tailem Bend for the first time since 2023, and for the first time in the venue's history will be an endurance race. The 27-strong field will contest a 102-lap race on Sunday in South Australia, which will be a journey into the unknown for all. 500km pre-Bathurst enduros away from Sandown aren't unprecedented, with Queensland Raceway and Phillip Island both hosting the 500 at either end of the 2000s, however the newest facility on the Supercars calendar could be well suited to an enduro format. The fast, flowing European-style circuit has drawn comparisons to Phillip Island, which hosted some memorable 500km stoushes between 2008 and 2011. If The Bend can deliver in the same way Phillip Island did, we could be in for an absolute cracker to kickstart the Ryco Enduro Cup.
How will the battle for Finals spots evolve?
The pressure on drivers in and around the back of the top 10 has been ramping up in recent rounds, however at The Bend it will go to another level. Sunday will be the most important day of the race for The Finals in the year to date, with 300 points up for grabs. Fortune will favour the brave, with the wide expanses of the 4.95km circuit potentially inviting risks that otherwise wouldn't be taken on an old-school circuit like Sandown, however if you do find trouble, it could very well end your Finals chances. The likes of Anton De Pasquale, Ryan Wood, and Kai Allen enter the Enduro Cup in great form, and look like being post-season contenders, whilst Thomas Randle and Cameron Hill are in the midst of mid-season slumps that need to be reversed in a hurry.
Who will stake their claim as the best co-driver?
It feels like the co-driving ranks only get stronger and stronger with every passing enduro season, and 2025 is no exception. The addition of Mark Winterbottom to Tickford's stable alongside Cam Waters makes for an extremely strong pairing, whilst the likes of former champions Jamie Whincup and Garth Tander have become the gold standard of co-drivers. Todd Hazelwood enters the enduros as the reigning Bathurst champion, 2021 Bathurst winner Lee Holdsworth joins Team 18, whilst Scott Pye enters as the reigning 500 champion. Experienced hands such as Tim Slade, Fabian Coulthard, James Moffat, Dale Wood, and David Russell will all be rock solid, whilst young guns such as Jayden Ojeda, Declan Fraser, Cameron McLeod, and Zak Best will all be looking to put their names in the shopfront window. A bumper crop of Supercar rookies will also feature in the enduros, namely Harri Jones, Nash Morris, Jobe Stewart, and Jarrod Hughes.
Who will be the best wildcard?
Ipswich proved that when wildcard entries are on song, they can challenge right at the pointy end of the field. Zach Bates was a star at Queensland Raceway with his sensational Sunday qualifying efforts, and held his own in the perilous wet conditions at the start of the race before a tardy pit stop sent him back into the mid-pack rabble. Seven-time Bathurst winner Craig Lowndes will be hungry to end his time with Triple Eight on a high note, whilst the performances of Lowndes and Cooper Murray last year should have netted two top five finishes. They're joined in the wildcard ranks by Tickford and their Super2 aces Rylan Gray and Lochie Dalton, whilst Matt Stone Racing will run two sons of Australian motor racing royalty in the form of Cameron Crick and Aaron Seton.
Could weather deliver a shock winner?
As any South Australian will tell you, the weather in Tailem Bend can be fickle at the best of times, however particularly so through the middle of the year. Rain does feature in the long range forecast for the middle of the week, however it appears that the weather could clear for the weekend's racing action. However, rain, hail, or shine, The Bend has thrown up some whacky results in its history. Whether it be a double podium for Nissan in the first ever race at the venue, Andre Heimgartner's stunning 2021 breakthrough, or Zak Best's remarkable wildcard pole position in 2022, different names have featured at the front over the years in Tailem Bend. Should it happen again this weekend, it could blow the Finals chase wide open.
