The 2012 Australian off-road champ and Finke competitor was all geared up for his 12th Finke Desert Race on the Queen's Birthday long weekend, where he was hoping for a top three finish in his twin turbo Jimco buggy.
The Melbourne-based driver's tilt at this year's podium was thwarted when the Northern Territory Government declared all of Victoria a COVID-19 hotspot.
However, his buggy made it to Alice Springs in a trailer driven by his team mates, which only added insult to injury.
When COVID-19 cases were starting to increase in Melbourne, Mr Hanson decided to bring forward his trip to Alice Springs by two days to escape COVID-19 and potential border closures.
"I had Melbourne to Sydney, Sydney to Alice Springs flights," he said. "I got to Sydney on the Tuesday night and I was due to fly out at nine o'clock the next morning and found out that the NT borders had been shut at midnight.
Hugely disappointing to be so close
Mr Hanson said that knowing the car was sitting in Alice Springs without him was hugely disappointing.
"I suppose this is the world we live in now," he said.
"You don't really know you're racing until you actually get there and the flag drops, because just things can happen last minute."
He said the costs involved were hard to quantify given the time, effort and money that had gone into preparations.
"It's a $30 to $40,000 exercise. It's not cheap."
Mr Hanson said that off-road racing had been a lifeline for him, especially given he was now up to lockdown number four.
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