Herne back on top

Being back in a Mustang brought Nathan Herne back to the familiar Trans Am victory lane after a defensive masterclass kept Todd Hazelwood at bay.

The first Trans Am race of the weekend at Queensland Raceway went down to the wire with just four tenths separating Herne and Hazelwood as they battled until the final corner.

In the end Herne prevailed to get his first win of 2024 and first in Trans Am since the 2022 finale having gone to America since.

The success has vindicated the move to start his own privateer setup and make a pre-round switch from Dodge Challenger to Ford Mustang panels.

Having been through a lot since winning the 2022 Trans Am title, it meant a lot for the “Lismore Bullet.”

“I have lost my voice and it is just unreal,” Herne said.

“Todd pushed me the whole way and with nine laps to go I thought there were five so I went for it and then was like ‘oh no’ but held on.

“Todd was really good under braking and I was really good with drive out of the corners. After about three laps I had no front brakes, so still a bit more learning to do.

“Big thank you to Blue Gold Industries for supporting me. It has been a big year.”

The battle between Hazelwood and Herne started when lights went out as they went side by side through Turn 1.

Despite the TFH driver being on pole, Herne prevailed on the outside.

Elliott Cleary started with high hopes from third but a clutch issue saw him retire after just four laps.

This allowed Jordan Boys to settle into third.

At the end of Lap 12 Hazelwood had his first look at the final corner, but carried too much speed and lost some ground.

However, the TFH racer was back in business two laps later to set-up a thrilling final four minutes to the flag.

Hazelwood launched another attack on the outside of the final corner and Herne locked up, but was able to stay in front.

These exchanges brought Boys into play as just a second covered the top three.

Soon Herne’s corner exit speed proved too good for Hazelwood as he dropped a car length back inside the final three laps.

But a wild moment at Turn 3 on the penultimate tour for the leader brought Hazelwood back into play.

The #111 had a look when they arrived at the same on the final lap, but Herne covered.

The same occurred at the following left hander before the grandstand finish at the final corner.

Hazelwood again had a look on the outside, which forced the #29 to go on the defensive.

They were neck and neck amid tyre smoke as they negotiated the final turn, but Herne’s defensive work was enough to secure a special win.

Boys was less than a second adrift in third as James Golding pulled handy points on fourth as James Moffat could only manage seventh.

Trans Am Queensland Raceway Race 1 results

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