Mixed Results at Sandown – Multispares Truck Parts Update
Ryan Hansford had a challenging weekend at Sandown recently. At what is considered Ryan’s bogey track, the results once again favoured the cars with bigger 6-litre engines throughout the weekend.
In addition, the tall kerbs in the esses, where Ryan usually makes up lap time, caused problems when the right front mudguard mount broke. Ryan was black-flagged due to concerns that the guard might fly off into the large crowd attending the Sandown 500 Supercars race weekend.
With the spare engine, built just weeks before Sandown, installed in the car, the team was nervous going into practice. They hadn’t had much time for laps before leaving Brisbane. The engine had undergone some quick runs on the hub dyno for a break-in, followed by power runs to ensure the tune was right. Practice went well, with Ryan posting the 5th fastest lap time.
With cold temperatures and the handling of the Multispares Torana feeling really good, Ryan and the crew devised a plan to attack qualifying in the first three laps, then park the Torana in the pits to save the tyres, as they had done at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Aaron and Jeremy taped up half of the brake ducts and set the tyre pressures to come up to temperature quickly. This strategy meant that by lap three, both the brakes and tyres would be ready for an all-out “Hansford attack” lap.
Speed trap data from practice showed Ryan was 10kph slower than most of the 6L cars, so Ryan and team manager Brett Peters discussed the possibility of drafting behind one of the faster cars to gain a slipstream on the straights. The challenge for Ryan was to avoid getting too close and being held up through the esses and over the kerbs, where he was the fastest car in the field.
The plan and execution were perfect. Ryan put in one of his best-ever laps in qualifying, putting the Multispares Torana on pole position, much to everyone’s surprise. Even more amazing was that Ryan was only the 15th fastest car through the speed trap on the long back straight.
In Race 1, Ryan didn’t get the best start, slightly missing the green light as it was briefly hidden by the front pillar. He dropped to 3rd place. To keep up with the faster cars ahead, Ryan was hitting the kerbs hard, which led to the mount breaking. He was called into the pits and finished the race in 17th, after the team taped up the guard and sent him back out. They also changed from wet tyres back to dry ones to avoid damaging the wets further, as the track had started to dry out.
In Race 2, starting from 17th, Ryan drove a fantastic attacking race, working his way up to 6th.
You can watch the race on YouTube – Touring Car Masters TCM Sandown Race 2 2024 (youtube.com)
or experience Ryan’s moves from the in-car camera like you’re sitting beside him – https://youtu.be/sIy__PzyM2I
After finishing 7th in Race 3, Ryan was outpaced by the faster cars on the straights, but with some brilliant defensive driving, he secured 3rd in Pro Masters and 8th overall. Ryan now heads to the final round at The Bend, SA, 3rd in the championship points. The round is on November 23-24 and will be live-streamed. Follow our Facebook page for further updates!
2024 TCM Calendar
| Bathurst 500 ( Feb 23/25 ) Fox TV / Kayo all races plus 1 FTA TV.Perth ( May 17/19 ) Fox TV / Kayo all racesDarwin ( June 14/16 ) Fox TV / Kayo 2 x FTA TVSydney SMSP ( July 19/21 ) Fox TV / KayoSandown ( Sept 20/22 ) Fox TV / Kayo The Bend ( Nov 22/24 ) |
