Overview
- Cameron stopped at the inside of Turn 4 after smelling smoke and seeing flames, activated the in-car extinguisher and exited the Mustang uninjured while track marshals extinguished the blaze.
- The fire erupted in the Mustang’s left-rear/mid section and visibly bubbled the vinyl wrap, leaving substantial rear-quarter and exhaust-area damage to the car.
- Race control deployed a Safety Car, which triggered the first compulsory pit sequence and produced a major reshuffle of race positions with Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki promoted to the front.
- Blanchard Racing Team offered competing explanations: an early suggestion from engineer Daniel Veronese pointed to an electrical or PDM fault or fuel on the exhaust, while team boss Tim Blanchard now thinks the exhaust may have been pushed into a side skirt and ignited it; a full mechanical assessment is pending.
- The team says most spares are at the circuit and it will attempt repairs overnight, a development that matters for Sandown’s endurance format because the Safety Car-run pit cycle affects qualification for the Adelaide grand final and teams must manage repair feasibility versus a potential show-stopper fault.