2023-03-10 02:00:00
Starting from pole, Zukanovic led the field into turn one and had built a five-second margin before the Safety Car was called for a stranded Geoff Fane.
The Whiteline Racing Camaro had contact from another car at turn one and slowed dramatically, stopping with what appeared to be a puncture.
A lengthy recovery to pick up the stranded Camaro – which had started on the front row – left the field with a one lap dash to the flag to decide the winner.
Though slow away from the restart, Tony Karanfilovski charged on Zukanovic in the last half of the final lap and attacked at the hairpin, the pair narrowly avoiding paint exchange as they duelled.
Ultimately Zukanovic held on to score his third TCM race win and continue his massive comeback story from a badly broken leg and nearly a full year’s worth of rehab just to get back in the car.
Andrew Fisher stormed his way to third position in his Holden Torana, while Ryan Hansford finished fourth and Cameron Tilley fifth.
The remainder of the finishes included key contenders John Bowe, Adam Bressington and Steven Johnson, who all circulated in a bid to gain information ahead of tomorrow’s first championship race of the weekend.
The other major moment was John Adams, who had a wild moment into turn one and spun his Falcon GTHO, ultimately recovering to finish ninth.
The first championship race of the weekend kicks off just after 9am local time on Saturday morning.
Joel Heinrich’s successful debut weekend in the Gulf Western Oil Touring Car Masters has ended with another victory in race three, while consistency paved the way to an overall round victory for Ryan Hansford.
Saturday honours were shared in the Gulf Western Oil Touring Car Masters at The Bend, with Ryan Hansford claiming the race one victory, while debutant Joel Heinrich backed up his Trophy Race win with a dominant
THE Gulf Western Oil Touring Car Masters will make their debut at The Bend Motorsport Park later this month for the August 18-20 OTR SuperSprint.
JOHN BOWE’S now iconic Holden Torana SL/R 5000 is on the market and looking for a new owner.
Fans of the Gulf Western Oil Touring Car Masters Series have been treated to quite the show so far in 2023, with the category featuring as part of both the Shannons SpeedSeries and Repco Supercars Championship.