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Nathan Herne converts pole to victory in Turtle Wax Trans Am opener
A supreme jump off the start has given Nathan Herne the advantage he needed to take the opening Turtle Wax Trans Am race of the weekend at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International.
Herne held sway during the opening stages from Supercheap Auto’s Nash Morris as the TPS Group/Breeze Holiday Parks Chevrolet Camaro of Brett Holdsworth put on the pressure in addition to Garry Rogers Motorsport’s Owen Kelly.
Morris dropped position to both Kelly and Holdsworth at Hell Corner on lap 2 as Herne held a comfortable advantage in the first heat race.
Following a skirmish during practice, Ben Grice started from the back and was already inside the top 10 by lap 3 in the All American Driveline Ford Mustang.
The third Garry Rogers Motorsport entry of Lochie Dalton also moved to fourth further demoting Morris as a safety car closed the field favouring Grice’s charge.
A spin for returnee Zach Loscialpo at Murray’s Corner was the reason for the interruption as he was unlucky to get beached as his Team Tempest Solutions Chevrolet Camaro backed into the edge of the gravel trap.
Herne made a perfect restart to leave Kelly dealing with increased pressure from Holdsworth, while Dalton, Morris and Grice remained in close proximity. The Supercheap Auto Mustang defended into Forrest’s Elbow from the All American Driveline example as the pair recovered despite some slight contact.
In a time certain finish, Herne led a Garry Rogers Motorsport 1-2 from Kelly as Holdsworth rounded out the podium. Dalton just fell short in a battle for the podium to finish fourth from Morris, Grice, CXC Racing’s Dylan Thomas, the Seven82 Motors Dodge Challenger of James Simpson, Masters Cup winner Mark Crutcher and Hoosier Cup victor Hugh McAlister.
The second nine-lap heat is scheduled for 3:15pm AEDT, with the combined the results determining the grid for the Turtle Wax Trans Am 100 tomorrow.
Tickets are available at https://bathurst.international/
If you can’t make it to Mount Panorama, broadcast can be seen live and ad-break free on Stan Sport on Saturday and Sunday. Sign up now for your free 7-day trial >> https://www.stan.com.au/watch/sport/motorsport
The Nine Network will also offer live free-to-air coverage on 9Gem from 3pm-5pm AEDT. Check your local guides.
International viewers can watch on https://motorsport.tv/