OTR SUPERSPRINT EVENT PREVIEW

The OTR SuperSprint is the final sprint event of the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship, held at The Bend Motorsport Park near Tailem Bend, South Australia.

The championship lead changed hands yet again last time out at Sydney Motorsport Park with Brodie Kostecki moving ahead of Erebus Motorsport teammate Will Brown by 41 points, with Triple Eight Race Engineering duo Shane van Gisbergen and Broc Feeney in third and fourth respectively and Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Chaz Mostert best of the Ford entrants in fifth place. Adding intriguing to the tight championship battle is speculation

Brown will switch from Erebus to Triple Eight in place of the NASCAR-bound van Gisbergen in 2024.

Van Gisbergen and Triple Eight have had the edge at recent events at The Bend Motorsport Park with a round sweep at the South Australian circuit in 2022, hoping for a repeat in 2023 to close in on the championship lead ahead of the endurance rounds.

The OTR SuperSprint consists of three 100 kilometre races on the 4.95 kilometre ‘International Circuit’ at The Bend Motorsport Park. The grid for the first race on the Saturday will be determined by the three-part knockout qualifying format, while the grids for the two Sunday races will be set by single qualifying sessions.

All three races will feature a compulsory pitstop for a minimum of two tyres with Dunlop’s soft tyre used exclusively at the event.

The 2023 OTR SuperSprint marks the 600th round held in the history of Australian Touring Car Championship/ Supercars, more than 63 years since the first round was held in 1960.

The Bend Motorsport Park opened in 2018 and has held a Supercars event in each year since, including two in 2020. Supercars will be supported at the OTR SuperSprint by Porsche Carrera Cup, Touring Car Masters, V8 SuperUte Series and S5000 Tasman Cup.