On Monday after the AirTouch 500 at The Bend, organisers announced that there were more than 47,000 attendees across the three-day event.
The methodology of how crowds are counted is a closely-guarded secret, but it’s widely believed that for every time a ticket is scanned, that counts as one person. For example, an individual who attends all three days is effectively counted as three people.
Consider also that The Bend said there were 3000 campers across the three days, then the water only gets murkier and there are some serious questions about the total sum.
Anyone who attended the event or watched Sunday’s broadcast will no doubt have noticed the relatively sparse attendance. Not even the grandstand on the front straight was full – and it’s a pint-sized thing.
So why the small turnout?
Proximity of The Bend 500 to the Adelaide Grand Final and an apparent lack of nearby accommodation were chief among the theories of Supercars champions Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki.
“There’s so much to it. It’s so far out of Adelaide, accommodation is hard out there,” said Brown on his Lucky Dogs podcast.
“My uncle had to book out so far in advance to make sure you get somewhere within 40 minutes of the track. Location is hard, accommodation is hard, and then it’s a massive track.”
The Bend Motorsport Park is an excellent circuit to view from atop the grandiose pit building, though Brown suggested other viewing areas were limited.
“It’s very hard to view because the thing I noticed is you’ve got the additional long track around the back, which prevents any of the fans watching close to the back part of the circuit,” said Brown.
“Really, you’ve only got the front straight and where the campers do around Turn 6 and Turn 7 area. I think there was plenty limited areas to watch as well.”
The Bend 500 took place on September 12-14, just over two months out from the Adelaide Grand Final.
Consider the blockbuster concert line-up, a championship-decider, a race on your doorstep, a Formula 1 exhibition, and an opportunity to get as close as possible to the cars, then The Bend 500 pales in comparison to the Adelaide Grand Final.
“We’re going back to Adelaide in a few months for the finale, so two key races in the same state,” said Kostecki.
“It’s probably a bit different if we did it in another state, but I think that’s something that probably… I don’t know how the thought process goes about it
“If you wanted to go watch a car race, would you go watch it at Tailem Bend where the viewing isn’t great or wait a month and a half and get free concerts at the same time?”
For The Bend 500 to succeed long-term, it will need a tune up. What that looks like is up to the organisers.
Ultimately, the Adelaide Grand Final has a massive sum of money behind it backing the concerts and other activations.
The Bend 500 needs a point of difference away from the Supercars race to stand out.
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