In February 2015, Peregrine Corporation lodged plans with the Government of South Australia to redevelop the former Mitsubishi Motors Australiatest track at Tailem Bend, South Australia. Approval was granted in May 2015 with construction commencing in March 2016. Initially titled the South Australian Motorsport Park, by the time construction commenced, The Bend Motorsport Park name had been adopted. The address of the site was originally in Elwomple. In September 2017, before the facility opened, the boundary between Tailem Bend and Elwomple was adjusted so that The Bend Motorsport Park is officially in Tailem Bend, not Elwomple. The first major event was the Revolve24 Endurance Cycling Challenge on 13-14 January 2018, an ultra-distance cycling festival featuring 24-hour, 12-hour and 6-hour races. It hosted The Bend SuperSprint, a round of the 2018 Supercars Championship, in August 2018. It has a desire to hold a MotoGPAustralian Motorcycle Grand Prix round. On 4-14 January 2019, the circuit hosted the 25th Australian Scout Jamboree. From January 10-12 2020 it hosted a round of the 2019-20 Asian Le Mans Series season as the 4 Hours of The Bend and the Supercars sprint round will be replaced by a new endurance event, The Bend 500. The Supercars race was later dropped from the calendar altogether, in a shortened calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with circuit managing director Sam Shahin openly critical of the cancellation.
Facilities
International Circuit
Length: 4.9 km
Will be used for majority of events including Supercars, Superbikes and national series events, through to state racing, club racing and track hire
GT Circuit
Length: 7.7 km
Used for endurance racing, specialist racing events, private hire and test days. Hosted a four hour Asian Le Mans Series event in January 2020.
Is the second longest permanent race circuit in the world, behind the Nürburgring
West Circuit
Length: 3.4 km
Will be used for the majority of short track events. Includes club racing, testing, sprint events, “cruising” events, driver/rider training
Can be used independently from the East Circuit
East Circuit
Length: 3.9 km
Will be used for driver/rider training, drifting, testing, club days, private days
Can be used independently from the West Circuit
Pit building and hotel
Construction commenced in February 2017 for a -long pit building which will include hotel accommodation in the upper levels of the four-storey building. There are 34 pit garages. The 100 room Rydges Pit Lane Hotel opened by 2019.
