Ryan Hansford has won Race 1 of the Touring Car Masters at The Bend Motorsport Park.

Yesterday’s non-points Trophy Race winner Joel Heinrich started from pole – having ended Steven Johnson’s domination – but still shared the front row with Johnson, with Ryan Hansford in third alongside Andrew Fisher.

The rolling start saw the Holden Toranas of Hansford and Fisher jump both Johnson and Heinrich, the pole-siter dropping to sixth.

The end of Lap 1 saw Hansford lead by almost a second from Fisher, who had Johnson breathing down his neck, with a 1.4s gap back to Buzadzic’s XD Ford Falcon, a recovering Heinrich and Zukanovic – who was passed by John Bowe for sixth at Turn 6 early on the second lap.

Buzadzic made the move back the next lap, the Torana looking like it lacked the straight-line speed of the Falcon, Bowe then succumbing to Zukanovic.

Karanfilovski – who’d led yesterday’s Trophy Race – had a moment at on Lap 4, dropping the left-rear in the grass and losing it between Turn 11 and 12, spinning across the track.

He carried on, but moments later he came off at Turn 1 after a dramatic lock-up, ending up in the gravel trap to prompt a Safety Car.

At Turn 17, the XY Falcon of John Adams came to a stop, while the Torana of Williams ended up on the grass – the latter recovered, while Adams’ race was over.

The order as the Safety Car was deployed was Hansford from Fisher, Johnson, Heinrich, Buzadzic, Zukanovic, Bowe, Tilley, Fane and Palmer in tenth.

A one-lap dash as the Safety Car session ended at the end of Lap 6 saw Heinrich try Johnson on the outside into Turn 1, battling through to Turn 6, where Heinrich made down the inside before the Mustang came back – both Johnson and Heinrich all over Fisher as the battled.

Yet a 1.3s gap by halfway around the lap let Hansford off the hook, with Fisher attacked by Johnson repeately until the final turn in a dramatic finish that saw Heinrich alongside Johnson as the chequered flag was waved – but the positions remained unchanged.

Hansford won by 2.3s from Fisher, Johnson, Heinrich, Buzadzic, Zukanovic, Bowe, Tilley, Fane and Palmer in tenth.

The Touring Car Masters return to the track for Race 2 at 12:30 local time/13:00 AEST today.

Results: 2023 Gulf Western Oil Touring Car Masters – Race 1
Saturday August 19, 2023