THE opening race of the 2024 Dunlop Super2 Series at Bathurst has ended without a single full green flag lap being run.
A troubled 40-minute affair came to a dramatic conclusion when a multi-car accident at The Cutting blocked the circuit.
It followed two earlier Safety Car periods and triggered a red flag that remained until the nominated time elapsed.
THE TRACK IS JAMMED.
— Dunlop Series (@Dunlop_Series) February 24, 2024
THE. TRACK. IS. JAMMED.#Super2 #Super3 pic.twitter.com/nAu44sheBU
Reigning series winner Kai Allen showed the way throughout the limited running that did occur.
Allen beat pole-sitting teammate Cooper Murray to the first corner and remained in front when the first Safety Car was called later in the lap to retrieve Callum Walker’s stalled car from the grid.
Murray then crashed out at McPhillamy Park on the restart lap, resulting in a second Safety Car period.
Cooper Murray has found the wall across the top of The Mountain 😱#Super2 #Super3 pic.twitter.com/KBDsl0bWDM
— Dunlop Series (@Dunlop_Series) February 24, 2024
The second restart only remained clean until The Cutting, when Cameron Crick’s overtaking attempt on Zane Morse spun the latter’s Ford in the middle of the pack.
Those behind had nowhere to go and the resulting fracas ended with the Mustangs of Max Vidau and Jett Johnson blocking the circuit, trapping several cars behind.
The rest of the field trundled back to pitlane under red flags and remained there until the clock ticked down to zero.
A short time after the finish, updated preliminary results were issued taken to the end of lap 5, before the crash occurred. Full points have been awarded.
They had Allen winning from Aaron Cameron, Zach Bates, Rylan Gray, Jarrod Hughes, Brad Vaughan, Lochie Dalton, Morse, Crick and Vidau.
Morse, whose weekend has included a crash in Practice 1, missing Practice 2 following the theft of replacement suspension parts and a failure in qualifying, was philosophical about the incident.
“Unfortunately we just got tagged in the rear at a corner where it’s very hard to overtake,” he said. “But it’s a mistake that everyone makes so hopefully we can just repair this and have a better day tomorrow.”
