ARRC/ASBKs: Adelaide - Meadows - The Bend Motorsport Park -Handorf - Adelaide

A few of us had decided to go and check out some 2 wheeled action at Australia's newest race circuit, "The Bend Motorsport Park" just East of Tailem Bend on the Dukes Highway, today was practice day for the Australian round of the Asian Road Racing Championships and also supported by the Australian Superbike Championships

6:45 I was on the bike heading South to meet up with paul (yes Hammy, he is real!!), his son Jason and relatively new member on here, Mike Ford 

Just after 7:30 we were heading over to Meadows where we stopped in for Breakfast at the local Bakery, 



then from the we headed across the hills towards Strathalbyn (took Paris Creek Rd, the one paul tried to dance with Skippy when madmax was over in December) and on to the Wellington Ferry, after being stuck behind a couple of 2 wheeled tractors and a Spider we pulled up at the Ferry a long way back, quick change of plans and we headed from Wellington to Jervois to catch the Tailem Bend Ferry instead.







After getting off the ferry it was a short ride out to the circuit, parked up, got tickets and as we were getting back on our bikes in rolled the rolling road blocks we'd left back at Wellington.

The circuit is far from completed and still has a shit load to finish but what they have achieved in about 12 months is nothing short of sensational, from a dusty limestone covered wasteland to in the words of Jamie Wincup, "The best permanent race circuit in Australia, equal to Abu Dabi"

There is the Rydges "Pit Lane Motel" above a amazing private collection of a F1 car, V8 supercars, high end super European cars and various other race, vintage and collectable cars and bikes, the area housing the cars is a bar and motel reception and has full length windows straight out onto pit lane










Floors 2, 3 and 4 were no go zones for us plebs but level 5 is the sky deck, what a amazing view, when the circuit is finished and fully grassed it will be simply spectacular.







At the moment spectator facilities are still very much a work in progress and outside of the main building fairly lacking atm, considering what they have achied in the past 12 months I'm looking forward to seeing what the next 12 months can deliver






paul, Jason and Mike's ride started at the Aldi, Mike left early, paul and Jason rode with me to Handorf before heading from there across the hills to home

Good work, thanks for the report, I hope to make it over that way , "someday".

Looks like Philip island will have this track muscling in on their business. Nice ride report @Chook.

reddog wrote:Looks like Philip island will have this track muscling in on their business. Nice ride report @Chook.

If  what I'm hearing is correct (and the Shahin's usually/allways get what they want), Philip Island wont have anyone muscling in on them but they, and Albert Park may not have it all to themselves. 




Other countries have 2 Moto GP's, 2 WSBK's, 2 F1's, the track is already sanctioned for all Motorsport except F1, apparently that can't happen until everything is completed

This is the circuit they are using for this event



The others are

GT Circuit, 2nd longest permanent circuit in the world



West and West Plus Circuit



East Circuit

 Top report Chook .

Good report, details of the track appreciated. Thanks for having me along for the trip there, I will be better organised next time.

Well done Chook !!!

Looks like some nice technical options to choose from. 

How is the track topographically...flat or with some undulations?

mtbeerwah wrote:Well done Chook !!!

Looks like some nice technical options to choose from. 

How is the track topographically...flat or with some undulations?

When we 1st got there we thought it was relatively flat, when you walk around at ground level it is surprisingly undulated
It was mentioned yesterday that this wasn't the original placement for the track, it was moved further from the Mallee/Dukes Hwy intersection to make use of the natural rise and fall

Have a look on SBS Sunday, TV actually shows some of the undulations better than I would have expected

Chook wrote:

mtbeerwah wrote:Well done C[size=43]hook !!![/size]

Looks like some nice technical options to choose from. 

How is the track topographically...flat or with some undulations?

When we 1st got there we thought it was relatively flat, when you walk around at ground level it is surprisingly undulated
It was mentioned yesterday that this wasn't the original placement for the track, it was moved further from the Mallee/Dukes Hwy intersection to make use of the natural rise and fall

Have a look on SBS Sunday, TV actually shows some of the undulations better than I would have expected

That's good.  Another technical challenge to deal with. 

SBS...you mean speed week ??

mtbeerwah wrote:

Chook wrote:

mtbeerwah wrote:Well done C[size=43]hook !!![/size]

Looks like some nice technical options to choose from. 

How is the track topographically...flat or with some undulations?

When we 1st got there we thought it was relatively flat, when you walk around at ground level it is surprisingly undulated
It was mentioned yesterday that this wasn't the original placement for the track, it was moved further from the Mallee/Dukes Hwy intersection to make use of the natural rise and fall

Have a look on SBS Sunday, TV actually shows some of the undulations better than I would have expected

That's good.  Another technical challenge to deal with. 

SBS...you mean speed week ??

https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/channel/SBS/location/QLD#/


12 - 2 pm Aust superbikes at the bend ..............3.30 - 4.30 pm world championships