Nissan drives foes around The Bend

Nissan's Rick Kelly and Michael Caruso hope to throw another variable into the mix with success at the Supercars' unpredictable The Bend circuit on Sunday.

Holden driver Shane van Gisbergen

Holden driver Shane van Gisbergen (C) faces a resurgent Nissan team at the SuperSprint at The Bend. (AAP)

The Bend may be unpredictable enough but Supercars' newest track in South Australia looks set to throw up another variable on Sunday after Nissan's resurgence at the $110 million circuit.

Normal service appeared to have resumed at the Tailem Bend track an hour's drive from Adelaide on Saturday after a chaotic build-up.

Holden gun Shane van Gisbergen claimed victory at the remote circuit's opening 120km race to reduce Ford gun Scott McLaughlin's series lead to just 41 points.

However, Nissan appears set to mix things up again in Sunday's 200km finale for the maiden The Bend SuperSprint round following their race one success.

Nissan's Rick Kelly and Michael Caruso pressed hard in the opening 24-lap race to complete the podium respectively behind van Gisbergen.

It was Nissan's first double podium since Winton in 2013.

And Kelly hinted that Nissan would again have a sniff on Sunday after just his fourth podium of the year which moved him into sixth in the championship.

"You get yourself into second and your first thought is 'this is good, we're on for a podium'," Kelly said of pursuing Kiwi van Gisbergen.

"And then your mind quickly shifts to 'there's a race win just there in front', so you try everything you can to get that.

"I think we're close to getting the most out of it. There's a couple of tweaks to tidy it up to go again tomorrow."

Nissan Motorsport team manager Scott Sinclair hoped their best was yet to come on Sunday.

"There were plenty of opportunities to make a mistake and they didn't," he told speedcafe.com.au.

"It was probably one of those days where everything came together and it is easier to maintain race pace when you are out the front."

All signs pointed to a wild opening race at The Bend after some of Supercars' biggest names went off track time and again in practice and qualifying at the demanding 18-turn, 4.95km circuit.

Yet only one safety car emerged in The Bend's opening 24-lap race after Holden veteran Garth Tander broke down following six laps.

McLaughlin looks set to be another big improver on Sunday after having to settle for sixth spot in The Bend's opening race.

"We've taken steps in the right direction. We just need to find another big chunk of time," McLaughlin said.

Qualifying for The Bend's second race starts at 1120 AEST.

Race two starts at 1410 AEST.


Share
3 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Nissan drives foes around The Bend | SBS News