Season opener full of twists and turns for Hamilton

By Daniel Webb

Apr 11, 2022

Up and down: It was certainly an interesting start to the season for Ben Hamilton. Photo by Supplied

It was a dramatic start to the season for Cobram’s resident four wheel speedster Ben Hamilton.

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

Hamilton picked up a podium, was disqualified after finishing first and had a crash that left him unconscious all in a single day of round one racing action.

Competing in the Australian Pulsar Racing Association’s Victorian Pulsar Series, Hamilton took to Philip Island on March 27 for three races.

After finishing fifth in qualifying, he managed to finish third in race one, with this position being elevated to second after an opponent was given a penalty.

“The car was really good, I had a great battle with all of the other drivers, we were chopping and changing pretty much every lap,” Hamilton said.

“I finished second because the bloke who finished ahead of me got a penalty.

“That was a really good change of fortune for the first race.”

This impressive race one second place was rewarded with a start on the front of the grid for race two, with Hamilton leading the race until the end.

“I led for the majority of the race, there was a few nice battles but I went on to win the race but unfortunately I got disqualified because the car came in under weight,” he said.

“I got disqualified and had to start from the back of the grid for race three.”

Hamilton said his own personal weight loss was behind the disqualification, with the result leaving him wanting to quickly move up the grid.

“As I was starting at the back of the grid due to the penalty I was trying to make up some lost ground driving as hard as I could,” he said.

He explained that the car got a little bit sideways, before hitting some grass that had been lodged onto the track from another car.

“It spun me out and I unfortunately got t-boned by the following car,” he said.

The impact of the clash knocked Hamilton out for about 30 seconds, with the driver continuing for four more laps before calling it a day.

It was then off to hospital, with the crash meaning Hamilton had inhaled carbon monoxide, along with hurting himself.

Hamilton thanked everyone that sent him a message to make sure he was okay and while the driver was given the all clear, it is another story for the car.

“If the car is able to be repaired it’s going to probably be a lengthy process so I’m not quite sure what the season has ahead of me yet,” he said.