Hansford take TCM Trophy race amidst huge Torana crash

The opening 10 lap race of the Touring Car Masters went to 2022 champion Ryan Hansford, but the race was ended early after Danny Buzadzic hit the concrete hard in his Torana.

Hansford drove beautifully whilst hitting the kerbs hard to make his charge, with the Queenslander getting it done over Andrew Fisher and Cameron Tilley in the Valiant Pacer.

The beautiful Torana of Melbournian Danny Buzadzic was looking pretty ordinary after the Turn 3 crash, with the likely cause being a jammed throttle as he hit the brakes unusually hard coming out of the chicane. The 51-year-old will be sore, but he climbed out of the car ok.

Here’s how the race went down…

A rolling start saw Buzadzic move into the early lead, with Garwood’s Holden VB Commodore not getting off to a flyer.

After fighting up the front early, the charges from Zukanovic and Karanfilovski came unstuck after clashing at the final corner with both going off.

Cam Tilley had also made a good start in the fan favourite Valiant, holding fourth place.

Buzadzic then found mechanical issues which dropped him into third, with the Torana’s of Fisher and Hansford leading the way, with the former champ winning a drag-off to take the lead after attacking the kerbs with gusto.

At the halfway mark there was more mechanical drama for one of the NZ entries, with Lovegrove pulling into the service road in his Pontiac Firebird.

Hansford was making good progress up front in the 10 lapper, putting some gradual space between the Jesus Torana, whilst JB in his final weekend was hanging on the back of Tilley in. A bid for fourth.

On lap 7 there was a huge shunt on the concrete wall on Wakefield street as the Torana of Buzadzic careened around the corner on the brakes and at speed out of the chicane, with a jammed throttle likely the issue.

It was looking very second right with the entire front right hand side of the Alan Grice tribute liveried car completely collapsed.

Thankfully he climbed out the car and looked ok, but it was a massive crash and that would put a full stop on his season.

With that crash, Tilley moved into third over Heinrich and Bowe, with Fisher cementing second behind Hansford with the yellow flag ending the race early.

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