TOURING CAR MASTERS CRASH CASTS DOUBT OVER TILLEY’S SEASON

Doubt looms over Cameron Tilley’s return to the Touring Car Masters this season after a sensational crash in Townsville.

Tilley’s Valiant Pacer, a fan favourite in the series, had its back end wiped out when it appeared Michael Almond’s brakes gave out as they entered the third corner, causing a massive impact.

Both cars suffered severe damage in the incident and, shortly after the safety car was called out, it was declared a non-race.

In terms of Tilley returning this year for the Sandown and Bathurst meets, the severe damage and difficulties that arise with being an independent DYI competitor, puts a cloud over his hopeful return.

“I’ve taken the car off the trailer and put it in the workshop, I have trouble looking at it to be honest with you,” Tilley said to AUTO ACTION, “I’ll have to cut the car in half to fix it. If I fix it!”

“Just the way we go racing, I can’t afford to send it out. It’s probably the only car in the category that comes back to our own shop and I’m the panel beater, the mechanic, and all that stuff is done here.

“Nothing is farmed out. It’s massive. And then to go and source second hand parts, and cars, and pick bits, and get them cleaned and to start fixing rust in those parts and grafting them into the car… I don’t know where to start to be honest.”

After achieving a breakthrough win in Sydney the previous round and finding good pace in Townsville, Tilley was left understandably downcast at his day ending in such a fashion.

“My car means a lot to me, because we do it all ourselves. So yeah, I’m absolutely Shattered,” Tilley said.

And in terms of the damage sustained, the prognosis was a lot to take in.

“Everything from the back doors back,” says Tilley, “The chassis rails, the boot floor, rear suspension, the diff housing, oil tanks, everything from the back doors back.”

Of the incident itself, Tilley was taken by surprise into the corner, with Almond’s Camaro SS flying through at great speed.

“It was just like a bomb went off basically, because I cleared him enough to not have to worry about really what was going on the mirror. I had no idea at all that he was coming in at that speed. So that’s all I remember, just the explosion of that first impact,” said a disappointed Tilley.

After the crash, the two of them shared the same medical car, but little was said as both drivers nursed a pair of sore heads.

“Yeah we were put in the medical car and he just said he had a brake failure, but I mean, it wasn’t confirmed at that point. I didn’t really have much to say.”

Another by-product from the unfortunate crash was Almond’s medical ruling him out of his Porsche Carrera Cup race later that day.

Michael Almond and Cameron Tilley were fighting each other all weekend

Almond was racing in Mark King’s Camaro, which at this stage is also in some early doubt for Sandown, but more likely than not to take part.

Auto Action made contact with Almond to discuss the crash, and though he expressed his regret over an unfortunate and, unavoidable racing incident, he respectively declined to comment at this time.

The next TCM round was to be Ipswich, but that has been cancelled, making Sandown the next meeting on September 16-18.

On a positive front, with that Ipswich cancellation, there is speculation that TCM may return to the streets of Adelaide in December.

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