SMU Racing adds firepower to 2018 and beyond

SMU Racing will officially expand to a two-car team with Matt Hansen and Justin Anderson joining forces following a team effort at the recent Tatts Finke Desert Race.

The Victorian-based outfit will house the pro buggies of Hansen and Anderson, Hansen’s #7 Jimco 2011 Ford 3500cc and Anderson’s #75 Tatum 2011 Nissan VQ35T 3500cc.

“We are super pumped to have Justin and Owen [Anderson] as part of the team,” Hansen said.

“We have all been mates since the beginning of time and I have been chipping away at him for years now to become part of SMU Racing, but when he actually decided to come across we were all very excited.

“Ace has been a super driver over a long period of time with many race victories under his belt. We have all been racing together since the eighties, so to have the ability to enter races with a real live chance of having two SMU Racing cars on the podium is very exciting,” added Hansen.

Likewise, Anderson was looking forward to the #75 Tatum donning the SMU colours and livery going forward.

“H and I have been mates for a long time and we plan to do a lot of racing together so it made sense that we get the cars done the same and try and make a bit of assault on races under the SMU Racing banner. Hopefully we can get some finishes and some results in the process.”

The 2018 Tatts Finke Desert Race was a tough initiation for the team – after prologuing sixth, Hansen was running fourth before succumbing to a cooked alternator at the 185 kilometre mark.

Anderson struck dramas in prologue with turbo issues but was able to get on top of the problem, starting out of 30th from Alice Springs. Anderson fought his way to 15th before a driveshaft issue put the team out of the race at the 140 kilometre mark.

Next race on the agenda for SMU Racing #75 is the third and final round of the BFGoodrich CAMS Australian Off Road Championship, the Hindmarsh Shire Rainbow Desert Enduro.

SMU Racing #7 will undergo suspension testing with a few wholesale changes being made over the coming month before determining the car’s next race.