In the eye of the dust storm: Photographer's tale of infamous Tassie tangle

Mark Horsburgh, Supercars’ celebrated official photographer of nearly 30 years, couldn’t believe his luck.

In 2006, Horsburgh set up at Symmons Plains’ infamous hairpin, ready to snap the procession of cars file down the straight before navigating the tight left-hander.

Bang. There goes Whincup, into the wall.

For a veteran photographer with decades of experience and millions of photos under his belt, Horsburgh — like any sports snapper — enjoys the thrill of being on the spot.

However, this crash was different. It went on forever. And ever, and ever. And then, there was the dust.

“I set up down at the hairpin just getting ready for a normal race start,” Horsburgh told Supercars.com.

“Then the two cars came together, and it all kicked off.

“It had been quite dry down there in Tassie, and they'd only just put the concrete wall in that year. So that whole area was pretty well just all dirt and whatever.

“Next thing, the two cars go spearing off, and it's just a plume of dust.”

As it were, Whincup tangled with Paul Dumbrell, sending the Betta Electrical Falcon into the newly installed concrete wall. The wall works and unseasonal dry weather left behind dirt, which Whincup sent flying.

Teammate Craig Lowndes, who was fighting for a championship, went spinning. Greg Murphy, meanwhile, was tipped into the Armco barriers. It was a mess — but Horsburgh only had one chance to get the shot.

As the dust literally settled, Horsburgh watched on as Whincup jumped out of his wrecked Ford, while Murphy ran across the track. Bristling a moustache in celebration of Movember, Murphy was after anything but a kind chat.

Whincup, meanwhile, was coming to terms with the thought of writing off the Falcon that delivered an emotional Bathurst victory just weeks earlier.

“I wandered down to take a few frames,” Horsburgh said.

“As I arrived, there was Greg Murphy wearing what can only be described as a dirty moustache, and a young Jamie Whincup who obviously thought, 'Oh, f**k, what's just happened there?’

“At the same time, you’re trying not to piss them off because you've got a camera stuck in their face in what isn't one of their proudest moments.”

It's one thing to be on the spot. It's another to make that chance count.

He may tell you otherwise with a cheeky grid, but Horsburgh remains sharp as a tack. Just weeks ago, he took his opportunity when Broc Feeney's Ford was ripped to pieces in Melbourne.

Jobs like Horsburgh's are ones we often take for granted. Sport would be lost without its photographers, who immortalise moments in time, just like the 2006 Tasmania incident some 20 years on.

For Horsburgh, it's the moment that counts. Beyond Supercars, he has captured countless other sports and moments across the years, notably sitting in lane four when Cathy Freeman won gold at Sydney 2000.

For the layperson, Tasmania 2006 mightn't amount to much, but it remains frozen in time thanks to Horsburgh.

“The Tassie one was similar to the crash at the Grand Prix with Feeney,” Horsburgh said.

“There's so much going on, and you've just got to pick one area. You never know if you're going to be on the spot where all the action happens, or if it all happens out of frame and you miss it all and don't even see it happen.

“In the Tassie crash, I pointed at the dust and hoped something came out the other side of it. At the Grand Prix, you're following the first cars you see, and I didn't actually see Feeney's car spit out to the side until afterwards.

“You're focusing more on where you think there might be a bit more action. Not to glorify a crash or anything like that, but you're definitely looking for that hero moment, that's for sure."

Horsburgh returns to Tasmania to capture the fifth round of 2026 on May 22-24.