The Bend unveiled as Shell V-Power Motorsport Park

The Bend has been unveiled in its new identity, as ‘Shell V-Power Motorsport Park’.

The South Australian circuit had been known as ‘The Bend Motorsport Park’, a reference to its location in the town of Tailem Bend, since it opened in 2018.

However, in conjunction with an agreement for Viva Energy Australia to buy the OTR Group chain of convenience stores/service stations, an impending name change was announced in April.

The new branding takes pride of place on the fascia of The Bend’s Welcome Centre.

Sam Shahin, Managing Director of what is now Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, said, “We are absolutely honoured that a powerful global brand has committed to such a strong and lengthy partnership with our business.

“It’s a testament to The Bend brand that we have developed since we set about building this venue close to a decade ago.”

Alistair MacDonald, CEO of the facility, said, “We are excited and eager to work with Viva Energy and Shell V-Power to create a partnership that is hugely beneficial for all parties and is representative of the combination of a world class venue and a world class brand.”

Viva, which operates under licence as Shell, is already a major stakeholder in Australian motorsport through its title sponsorship deal with Dick Johnson Racing.

Viva’s CEO Convenience and Mobility, Jevan Bouzo, remarked, “The Shell V-Power Motorsport Park at the Bend is an internationally award winning venue and we are so proud to partner with them.

“This fantastic partnership brings together the quality and performance of Shell V-Power with state of the art facilities, setting new benchmarks and fueling a passion for motorsports.”

South Australian Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison was also on-hand for today’s announcement, which comes on the eve of Supercars teams rolling into the venue for the weekend’s OTR SuperSprint.

She said, “Signing a powerful global brand like Shell V-Power not only signals how strong The Bend is as a venue, but also how much confidence the market has in the long-term success of this terrific South Australian business.

“Since 2016 when the first sod was turned, until now, the team at The Bend has been laser-focused on growing the venue as a world-class motorsport facility and a must-see destination in SA.

“We know events give people a reason to visit our tourism regions – and motorsport events like this weekend’s OTR SuperSprint are just what we want to keep people visiting and spending in this region.

“In fact, last year, major events at The Bend contributed in excess of $14 million of economic benefit to the state.”

While this weekend’s Supercars event is the highest profile fixture on Shell V-Power Motorsport Park’s calendar, it also hosts a round of the Australian Superbike Championship.

With other activities such as the three-week-long Michelin Passion experience and various events for Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Audi, and BMW, it is expected to see around 310 on-track days this year.

Meanwhile, the Shahins have been the subject of recent speculation that they have or will buy Supercars.

There has been no public comment on that matter, but the suggestions are understood to be wide of the mark.

Support categories are on-track from Friday at Tailem Bend, with Repco Supercars Championship Practice 1 on Saturday from 09:50 local time/10:20 AEST.