Gregg Hansford

Infobox Former Grand Prix motorcycle rider


Caption =
Name = Gregg Hansford
Nationality = flagicon|Australia Australian
Years = 1978 - 1981
Teams = Kawasaki
Races = 33
Championships = 0
Wins = 10
Podiums = 25
Points = 358
Poles = 11
Fastest laps = 5
First race = 1978 250cc Spanish Grand Prix
First win = 1978 250cc Spanish Grand Prix
Last win = 1979 350cc Finnish Grand Prix
Last race = 1981 500cc Dutch TT

Gregg Hansford (4 April 1952 – 5 March 1995) was an Australian motorcycle and touring car racer.

Racing career

Hansford raced motorcycles in Australia, winning the 1973 500cc and Unlimited title before travelling to Europe to compete in Grand Prix motorcycle racing for the Kawasaki factory racing team. He finished 2nd in the world 250cc championship and third in the world 350cc championship in 1978. In 1979 he again finished 2nd in 250cc and 3rd in 350cc. In 1980 he finished second in the Suzuka 8 Hours event, but suffered horrific injuries in 1981 at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa forcing his retirement from motorcycle racing. With 10 victories, he is ranked third for the most Grand Prix wins by an Australian.

He also competed in the New Zealand Marlboro Series in 1975/76 and 1977/78 on Team Kawasaki 750's and also won one leg of the 77/78 series on a KR250.

Hansford then turned to car racing, his first big win being the 1984 Oran Park 250, followed by wins in the 1988 Sandown 500 and the 1994 Bathurst 12 Hour. Such performances gained him drives in both V8 Supercars and Supertourers, with highlights being 1st in the 1993 Bathurst 1000, 3rd in the 1994 Bathurst 1000 and 3rd in the 1994 Sandown 500 partnered with Larry Perkins.

Hansford's 1993 Bathurst win gave him the unique distinction of winning a race at the Mount Panorama Circuit in both motorcycle and car racing.

Death

While competing in a Supertourer race in 1995 at Phillip Island, Hansford's Ford Mondeo slid off the track and hit a tyre wall at high speed. The car bounced back onto the track where he was hit by Mark Adderton's Peugeot 405 at over 200 km/h. Hansford died moments after the impact.

In 2007, Hansford's son Rhys made his first steps into a motor racing career and presently (2008) competes in V8 Utes.

###@@@KEY@@@###