Wet weather, brakes add intrigue to 2026 Bend 500
Rain impacted Sunday morning Warm Up at Tailem Bend
Teams prepared for brake pad changes throughout session
The changing face of race day Sunday is set to deliver some shocks and surprises at the AirTouch 500 at The Bend.
After two days of sunshine and winds, The Bend Motorsport Park has been struck by rainfall on Sunday, ahead of the 147-lap race.
The balance of the morning Warm Up session was held in wet conditions, with several drivers caught out by the inclement conditions.
Rain has continued throughout the day, with co-drivers set to be thrown into the deep end for the race start.
At the time of publication, one hour before race start, heavy rain lashed the circuit, with the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia finale red flagged and abandoned.
Wet weather maestro Richie Stanaway, James Golding’s co-driver, was put back into the #7 CoolDrive Ford for the end of the Warm Up to get a read on the conditions.
“Would've been actually better for us if it was dry the whole session so Jimmy could validate it at the end,” Stanaway said.
"But we cut his run short, um, and put me back in because it's unlikely for it to be wet for the main guys, but it's higher probability for co-drivers.
"So we threw me back in, but I think it's still pretty low probability with the forecast."
The balance of the field is also expected to complete brake pad changes throughout the race.
A series of curveballs have been thrown in the lead-up to the Tailem Bend event, with Supercars activating a contingency plan in a bid to ensure all teams have enough brake pads to get through the race.
On Friday, Supercars informed teams it would distribute a mix from older batches plus new pads that were air freighted from the UK that had been brought to the circuit, with additional new new pads on their way for next month's Repco Bathurst 1000.
After the Warm Up, Supercars advised teams that they can use pre-marked pads as they deem necessary in the race.
In preparation for the race, teams were practicing brake pad changes during Saturday practice and Sunday’s Warm Up session. Brake pad changes are not compulsory for the race.
The 147-lap, 500-kilometre race is set to begin at 1:45pm local time/2:15pm AEST.
Live coverage of the Ryco Enduro Cup opener can be found on Fox Sports, available on Kayo SPORTS, with highlights available on Seven and 7plus.
