Hanbury was two laps away from finishing the fourth race with an undamaged Holden. However, exiting the final turn, he got wide onto the grass and spun towards the inside wall at 140 km/h.
The violent hit launched the ute into the air and left the South Australian nursing a sore head.
Despite the impact and the Colorado partially blocking pit entry, the race continued to complete the final lap.
“I had about six weeks from when I first knew I was going to be doing this, so the preparation’s been pretty full-on,” Hanbury told Speedcafe.
“I didn’t want this. I wanted to have a clean run and get as many laps and data as possible with a three-month gap between now and Tasmania to really learn.
“It was a learning weekend, and I knew I was going to be near the back for the first race.
“When I got to this one, I didn’t really expect to be passing anybody, and I probably got too excited catching Richard [Mork].
“I was getting positions in previous races because people were just having tyres blow out and things like that, so I think this was the last race and last chance to just pass someone on track.
“I was probably pushing a little bit, and I guess just getting caught up in it.
“I went off, saw the Dunlop sign, I went on the grass, and instead of backing off and just getting back on the track and going, I kept on the throttle.
“My engineer just said we’ve got two laps left, and so I didn’t want to lose any time. The risk versus reward didn’t pay off.
“I knew I was going to the wall, so just swore to myself, and it just all happened so quickly.
“Just a bit of brain fade, probably trying to prove to myself that I could pass someone on the track even on the first weekend, because I knew I could.
“The crash itself, like I don’t really remember it too much. I remember it turning and I’m looking at the wall and I’m heading towards the wall – so just swearing, then I remember the impact, and then I remember sitting there, just waiting.”
Hanbury said he “felt fine” but was taken to the medical centre to be evaluated for a suspected minor concussion.
As for the ute, it suffered significant damage to the front and right rear corner.
Hanbury is optimistic that he will be back for the second round of the V8 SuperUtes Series at Symmons Plains in support of the Supercars Tasmania SuperSprint.
“I’m hoping that not everything needs to be completely rebuilt, but I’ll mentally prepare for that,” said Hanbury.
Hanbury’s on-track experience prior to the weekend was limited. As a teenager, Hanbury competed in a sim racing competition to fund his way into racing.
He had his eyes on Holden HQ racing but ultimately decided to pivot towards business interests and currently works as a mobile lender.
“This is the risk versus reward, and I didn’t have the reset button I’m used to,” he laughed.
“I’m disappointed because, as I said to the team, I just wanted to get through cleanly.
“I didn’t really care where I finished when I came into this weekend because the more laps I could do, it’s more seat time, more learning, more data.
“We went through the data for three or four hours after Saturday, just to learn. I think I stayed closer to the pack in general, so I was happy about that.
“It’s one of those things you don’t really realise until it happens.
“In a way, it’s kind of good that it has sort of happened because I’ve pushed that limit too far and I know what it looks like and I’ll know what it’s gonna cost soon.”
The V8 SuperUtes Series resumes on May 22-23 at Symmons Plains.
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