2021 Supercars The Bend SuperSprint session times and preview
Ford teams will be looking to snap a 223-day losing streak when the 2021 Supercars season continues at The Bend this weekend.
The Blue Oval hasn't won a Supercars race since the series visited the same circuit at the back end of its truncated 2020 season.
It was Cam Waters that took that last win, his first and only in a single-driver Supercars race, while Scott McLaughlin (13), Jack Le Brocq (1) and Fabian Coulthard (1) also contributed to Ford's 16 victories in 2020.
Since then it's been all Holden, the General's streak starting when Shane van Gisbergen and Garth Tander won the Bathurst 1000 last October.
Van Gisbergen then continued his own streak across the first six races of this season before Jamie Whincup and Chaz Mostert added season-first victories of their own last time out at Symmons Plains.
The Bend has been a happy hunting ground for the Ford Mustang, though. In the 10 races hosted by the South Australian circuit so far seven of them have been won by Ford drivers – five for Scott McLaughlin (2 x 2019 and 3 x 2020) and one each for Coulthard and Waters.
The 2021 Bend SuperSprint will be contested over three 24-lap sprint races, each featuring a mandatory stop for tyres.
The grid for Saturday's opener will be set with the three-part qualifying system split into 10-minute heats.
For Sunday there will be two 10-minute all-in qualifying sessions, held back-to-back, to determine the grids.
The regular field grows by two this weekend, with Thomas Randle (Tickford Racing) and Kurt Kostecki (Walkinshaw Andretti United) joining as wildcards for the first time this season.
Van Gisbergen comes into the weekend with a 139-point series lead over teammate Whincup.
Mostert and Waters are next in line, their respective deficits 165 and 202 points.
There is a maximum of 315 points on offer across the weekend.
2021 Supercars The Bend SuperSprint session times
All times local (GMT +9:30)
Friday May 7
10:10-10:30 Group N – Practice 1
10:40-11:05 GT World Challenge Australia – Practice 1
11:15-11:35 SuperUtes – Practice 1
11:50-12:15 Carrera Cup – Practice 1
12:35-12:55 Group N – Practice 2
13:05-13:30 GT World Challenge Australia – Practice 2
13:40-14:00 SuperUtes – Practice 2
14:10-14:35 Carrera Cup – Practice 2
14:55-15:15 Group N – Qualifying
15:25-15:40 GT World Challenge Australia – Qualifying 1
15:45-16:00 GT World Challenge Australia – Qualifying 2
Saturday May 8
08:10-08:30 Group N – Race 1
08:45-09:15 Supercars – Practice 1
09:40-10:00 SuperUtes – Qualifying
10:10-10:30 Carrera Cup – Qualifying
10:45-11:15 Supercars – Practice 2
11:35-12:35 GT World Challenge Australia – Race 1
12:50-13:30 Supercars – Qualifying (Race 1)
13:50-14:10 Group N – Race 2
14:20-14:40 SuperUtes – Race 1
14:50-15:15 Carrera Cup – Race 1
16:05-17:10 Supercars – Race 1
Sunday May 9
08:05-08:25 Group N – Race 3
08:35-08:55 SuperUtes – Race 2
09:10-09:20 Supercars – Qualifying (Race 2)
09:30-09:40 Supercars – Qualifying (Race 3)
10:00-11:00 Australian GT – Race 2
11:15-12:00 Carrera Cup – Race 2
12:30-13:35 Supercars – Race 2
13:55-14:15 SuperUtes – Race 3
14:25-14:50 Carrera Cup – Race 3
15:40-16:45 Supercars – Race 3
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