Gregg Hansford

Gregg Hansford
Nationality	Australian
Motorcycle racing career statistics Grand Prix motorcycle racing Active years 1978 - 1981 First race 1978 250cc Spanish Grand Prix Last race 1981 500cc Dutch TT First win 1978 250cc Spanish Grand Prix Last win 1979 350cc Finnish Grand Prix Team(s) Kawasaki Championships 0 Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 33 10 25 11 5 358

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

Racing career

Hansford began racing motorcycles in Australia, winning the 1973 500cc Unlimited title, as well as competing in the New Zealand Marlboro Series in 1975/76 and 1977/78 on Team Kawasaki 750s. He also won one leg of the 77/78 series on a KR250. In 1978 he traveled 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 teamed with Eddie Lawson to finish second in the Suzuka 8 Hours event, but suffered severe injuries in 1981 at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa forcing his retirement from motorcycle racing. With 10 victories, he is ranked fourth for the most Grand Prix wins by an Australian.

Hansford then turned to touring car racing with his first big win being the 1984 Oran Park 250 with Allan Moffat in a Mazda RX-7, followed by another win with Moffat in the 1988 Enzed 500 at Sandown, 2nd at the 1993 James Hardie 12 Hour with Charlie O'Brien in a Mazda RX-7 and winning the 1994 James Hardie 12 Hour with Neil Crompton, again in an RX-7. Such performances earned him respect and drives in both V8 Supercars and Supertourers, with highlights being 1st in the 1993 Tooheys 1000, 3rd in the 1994 Tooheys 1000 and 3rd in the 1994 Sandown 500 all partnered with Larry Perkins in a Holden VP Commodore.

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 Supertouring 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 sons Rhys and Ryan had made their first steps into a motor racing career and presently (2008) Rhys competes in V8 Utes. Ryan recently competed in round 5 of the 2009 Australian Mini Challenge.

Motorcycle Grand Prix results

Position	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Points	15	12	10	8	6	5	4	3	2	1

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Class	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Points	Rank	Wins
1978	250cc	Kawasaki	VEN -	ESP 1		FRA 1	NAT 2	NED 3	BEL -	SWE 1	FIN 2	GBR -	GER 2	CZE 2	YUG 1	118	2nd	4
	350cc	Kawasaki	VEN -		AUT 7	FRA 1	NAT 2	NED 8		SWE 1	FIN -	GBR -	GER -	CZE 2	YUG 1	76	3rd	3
1979	250cc	Kawasaki	VEN 7		GER 6	NAT -	ESP 2	YUG 2	NED 2	BEL DNS	SWE 2	FIN 2	GBR -	CZE -	FRA 2	81	2nd	0
	350cc	Kawasaki	VEN -	AUT -	GER -	NAT 1	ESP 2	YUG -	NED 1			FIN 1	GBR 2	CZE 4	FRA -	77	3rd	3
1980	350cc	Kawasaki	NAT -		FRA -		NED -			GBR -	CZE -	GER 5				6	15th	0
	500cc	Kawasaki	NAT -	ESP -	FRA -		NED -	BEL -	FIN -	GBR -		GER NC				0	-	0
1981	500cc	Kawasaki	AUT -	GER -	NAT -	FRA -	YUG -	NED NC	BEL -	SM -	GBR -	FIN -	SWE -			0	-	0

References

Sporting positions
Preceded by Jim Richards Mark Skaife	Winner of the Bathurst 1000 1993 (with Larry Perkins)	Succeeded by Dick Johnson John Bowe