Bend in car championships (4)

I believe the answer is:

arch

'bend' is the definition.
(arching is a kind of bending)

'in car championships' is the wordplay.
'in' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'ARCH' is hidden in the letters of 'car championships'.

(Other definitions for arch that I've seen before include "Roguish - superior" , "Char the curved structure" , "Clever" , "crook" , "Leading figures" .)

I've seen this clue in The Sun.

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