The Bend in box seat for Supercars reprieve

Motorsport.com revealed yesterday that the mooted Queensland Raceway double-header was no certainty, and that The Bend in South Australia was emerging as a genuine contender for the pre-Bathurst 1000 double-header.

The deal is now all but done for the Supercars to head south rather than staying in Queensland next month, with a double-header at The Bend set to be confirmed for the September 19-20 and 26-27 weekends.

As it stands there are no border restrictions between South Australia and Queensland, which mean teams would be able to return to their bases, either temporary or permanent, in the Sunshine State before the Bathurst 1000 without any quarantine period.

Sydney Motorsport Park was also considered for a pair of September rounds, however the current border restrictions with Queensland means that would have effectively needed to be paired with Bathurst.

The Bathurst date is yet to be formally locked in, with an October 18 date, a week later than originally planned, understood to be Supercars' preferred outcome.

The Bend has been an on-again, off-again feature on the 2020 schedule as it has evolved through the pandemic, going from being the pre-Bathurst enduro to being ditched in favour of Sandown.

That's tested the relationship between circuit owner Sam Shahin and Supercars, including a scathing open letter directed at the series after the Sandown swap took place.

This will be the third time The Bend has hosted Supercars.