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Hometown Hero Heinrich Claims Dramatic Friday Win
Joel Heinrich only led half a lap in Race One of the Gulf Western Oils Touring Car Masters in Adelaide, but it was the half lap that counted in a dramatic conclusion.
Heinrich looked set to follow home the Multispares Racing Holden Torana A9X of Ryan Hansford, who had scythed his way through from sixth on the grid to take a comfortable lead as he approached the turn nine hairpin for the final time.
That was where it all went wrong for the Queenslander, as he looped the Torana in a cloud of tyre smoke, allowing the Daimler Trucks Adelaide Chevrolet Camaro RS to sneak on by in a bizarre ending.
At the start Adam Garwood would take the advantage from pole after an even launch off the front row with Steven Johnson’s Ford Mustang Trans Am, as further back the Holden Toranas of Hansford, John Bowe, and Andrew Fisher went three-wide into turn four.
Hansford’s two-for-one move was a sign of things to come for the Queenslander, as he charged his way towards the front of the pack, catching the lead trio of Garwood, Johnson, and Heinrich at the end of lap two.
Hansford would breeze past Heinrich on the run to the Senna Chicane as lap three began, before divebombing Johnson and turn five and Garwood at turn seven in a breathtaking sequence.
Garwood, who had claimed the first TCM pole position for a Holden Commodore yesterday, would slip back to sixth at the end of the race, as both Johnson and Heinrich would make their way by the Tasmanian after Hansford moved to the lead.
Hansford would recover the Multispares Torana in quick enough fashion to salvage second, finishing just under two seconds ahead of championship leader Johnson, who himself finished just a tenth of a second ahead of Andrew Fisher’s Jesus Racing Torana A9X.
In this morning’s Trophy Race, Hansford claimed victory in a race marred by a heavy crash for Danny Buzadzic in the Western General Body Works Holden Torana A9X.
After leading early, Buzadzic had dropped to third behind the Toranas of Hansford and Andrew Fisher when he suffered a stuck throttle at the exit of the Senna Chicane.
The Victorian thumped the outside wall, missing the tyre barrier and launching straight into the concrete, with the heavy damage sustained to the A9X ruling it out for the remainder of the weekend.
Pro Am honours in the Trophy Race went to Cameron Tilley in third in his Anglomoil Superior Lubricants Valiant Pacer, with Garwood taking the victory in Race One in the Garwood Racing Holden Commodore VB.
Warren Trewin claimed both races in Pro Sport in the SNB Berryman Holden Monaro HQ, whilst Lance Hughes took the spoils in both races in the Invitational class in the Hamilton Asphalts Holden Torana SLR5000.
Race Two for Gulf Western Oils Touring Car Masters begins at 11:30am local time tomorrow morning.
The race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506.