Cameron Mason was heading for a dream win on his home track after three laps of the first Touring Car Masters race on Saturday.
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Then his brakes failed.
The Hunter driver had started on pole in the trophy race of the Newcastle 500 support category, where grid positions are partially reversed after Friday qualifying.
He was in second after two laps, muscled his Ford Mustang back into the lead, then went straight ahead at the top of the Watt Street straight and nudged the crash barriers.
“About three or four laps in I lost nearly all brakes. No brake pedal, and only the rears were working,” he said.
“We struggled our best to keep a hold of it but ran into the wall.
“Top of the straight. No brakes. All of a sudden.”
Mason was hopeful his team could fix the problem before the second race of the day.
He admitted thoughts of a home-town win were filling his head as he took the lead.
“I wish I’d stayed out there. It was a good way to choke in front of everyone.
“I just wanted to get it home. We just want to finish every race of the weekend.
“It would have been great to win, obviously, especially with all the support here. It would have been sweet.”
He finished the race in seventh with some scraped paint on one side of the No.3 car and a dent in the driver’s side door, where he had a coming together with former touring car great John Bowe.
“Coming onto the straight on the last lap, but rubbing’s racing; it’s all good.”
Mason was ninth in the second race of the day.