Eric Bana Crashes During Australian Race

HOBART, Australia (April 21, 2007) — Australian actor Eric Bana crashed his painstakingly restored 1974 Ford XB Coupe into some trees during an around-the-state rally Saturday but emerged uninjured along with his co-driver.

Bana and co-driver Tony Ramunno walked away from the crash during the Targa Tasmania rally, where they had been in 53rd place in field of 115 cars in the Outright Classic competition.

Initially, Bana hoped that the car, which he has owned since he was 15, could be repaired to continue the final day of racing on Sunday. But a closer inspection by his support crew showed that the front right-hand steering and suspension were too badly damaged.

“We had been having a great day until then,” Bana said. “But I misjudged a tight left-hander and we went in a little too fast — the car understeered off the road and got onto the gravel and we went into a couple of trees at a fairly low speed.

“The car is a little battered on the driver’s side which is a real shame, as many hours had been spent reshaping its original panels to get it just right. It’s a real shame, but that’s motor racing.”

The 38-year-old Bana has starred in movies such as “The Hulk” and “Munich.” His most recent film is “Lucky You,” which also stars Robert Duvall and Drew Barrymore.

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