It was a race of what could have been for TCR Australia Series champion Tony D'Alberto after finishing agonisingly short of victory at Mount Panorama.
The Honda Civic Type R pilot started race one of the TCR World Tour at the Bathurst International from pole position after a blistering lap earlier in the day.
However, he got bogged down from the inside of row one and allowed Uruguay's Santiago Urrutia and Nestor Girolami of Argentina to blow right by into Hell Corner.
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Try as he might, D'Alberto couldn't find a way through on his Honda teammate and had to settle for third after a race-long battle.
It marked the third win for Urrutia in this year's TCR World Tour after triumphs in Portugal and his home event in Uruguay.
D'Alberto was the first TCR Australia driver across the line, and with points scoring separate from the TCR World Tour he was credited with first place points in TCR Australia.
"I'm satisfied but I just stuffed the start," D'Alberto told Stan Sport's Chris Stubbs post-race.
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"Just bogged down at the start and then couldn't get back around these guys.
"We had really good pace. I really, honestly believe we had the car to win then.
"I'll have to study Nestor's start and try and replicate that tomorrow.
"Great job for the guys. Obviously that's a win for TCR Australia and great points for the championship."
HMO Customer Racing's Josh Buchan in eighth outright was the next best TCR Australia competitor in eighth just ahead of Aaron Cameron for Garry Rogers Motorsport.
Privateer Zac Soutar was 11th overall and fourth of the Australian contingent just ahead of points leader Bailey Sweeny.
In the TCR Australia Series points race, the gap between Buchan and Sweeny narrowed to just 15 points with two races to go.
https://twitter.com/SpeedSeriesAU/status/1723230267417260532
That margin might have been smaller had Sweeny not recovered from a poor start which had him pegged towards the back of the top 20 at the end of lap one.
The TCR World Tour continues on Sunday with race two at 12.50pm AEDT before race three, the season-finale, at 4.10pm AEDT.
Both races will be live, ad-free, and exclusively on Stan Sport.
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