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Super stage set for Shannons’ finale at The Bend

The Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships 2022 season will come to an end this weekend, but not before a massive finale at The Bend Motorsport Park.

Sharing the spotlight with the RSEA Safety Motorsport Australia Rally Championship and The Bend Classic to form The Bend AutoFest, the event will certainly keep fans entertained throughout the three-day meeting.

An impressive list of categories will make up the bill for the Shannons finale, with a solid field of 71 competitors spread across the five national categories.

Boasting the largest field for the weekend will be the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia and the one-make series will see a record 25 competitors featuring in the round.

Headlining the bumper entry list are the two title contenders in Ryan Wood and Tom Sargent and the two will likely be in the thick of the action again this weekend.

Photos: Speed Shots Photography

The next biggest field belongs to the GC Marine Australian Prototype Series in what will be its first round since the Shannons’ visit to Queensland Raceway.

A massive entry list of 21 cars is one of the biggest in recent times and there will be plenty of attention of those in the fight for the title such as Ricky Capo, JP Drake and Ryan Godfrey, as well as the handful of debutants entered.

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Of course, with the circuit being the home of Jam Motorsport, it should come as no surprise that has the largest representation of 10 cars – it’s biggest turnout to date.

A number of APS drivers will also be competing in the Radical Australia Cup, including the likes of Drake, Stephen Champion and Peter Clare.

The Radicals will also be holding its final round of 2022 and will celebrate by welcoming a season-high field of 19 drivers – a handful of which are in the running for the title.

With 84 points on offer, Chris Perini, Peter Paddon, Peter Carr, Jordan Oon and Adam Lisle are amongst those who are capable of walking away as champion.

As for the remaining two categories, both the Australian Production Cars and the GT World Challenge Australia will have 13 cars entries for the round.

Just like Sandown, the GT World Challenge Australia will have a plethora of heavy hitters competing on the South Australian circuit for its two endurance races, including 2022 Repco Bathurst 1000 winner Garth Tander, who will be alongside Yasser Shahin.

Joining Tander are the likes of Broc Feeney, who steps in for Tander’s Bathurst winning teammate Shane van Gisbergen to race with Prince Jeffri Ibrahim, Jamie Whincup, who will be partnered up with Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim and Tony D’Alberto, who will be alongside Adrian Deitz in the Wall Racing run Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo.

The Australian Production Cars will have van Gisbergen’s Bathurst 6 Hour winning teammates Shane Smollen and Rob Rubis in the thick of the action against a strong field of drivers.

Leading the charge though for the category are the main title contenders Drew, Aaren and Wayne Russell, while Cameron Crick is a name familiar to fans and who will be with Dean Campbell in the A1 class.

Once again, a jam-packed schedule is on the cards with more than 18 hours of track time.

The Bend AutoFest will get underway on Friday morning and it will be the Radicals who begin with practice one at 8:00am ACDT, while the Prototypes will wrap up the day’s business at 5:20pm before the ARC takes over.

It’s an early start on Saturday with the Production Cars on track at 7:30am local time – The Bend Classic to be the last competitive session around 5:10pm, taking the day’s total track time to almost 10 hours.

The Prototypes hold its second race at 7:45am to get Sunday’s action underway, while the ARC will hold its EROAD Power Stage on Sunday afternoon following The Bend Classic, which concludes the circuit-racing component of the event at 2:55pm.

Click here to view the full schedule.

Tickets for The Bend AutoFest can still be purchased with plenty of options still available for fans.

Click here to purchase tickets.

For fans unable to make it, they can tune in via the live steam on 7plus, which will cover at least six hours of racing on both Saturday and Sunday. Both days will be streamed from 10am.

Highlights from the event will be screened in the weeks following the event, with the exact broadcast time to be confirmed.

Click here for more information on the stream.

The Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships form part of The Bend AutoFest at The Bend Motorsport Park on 21-23 October.