There was unfortunately a crash at the Dunedin Speedway on Friday night. Video / Mikaela Cruden
A wild crash has shocked racegoers at Dunedin’s speedway as one car catapulted into the sky and over a safety fence, almost landing on top of spectators.
Video of the crash shows cars making contact during a streetstocks race at the Beachlands Speedway last night.
As the racing field swings around the speedway’s curve one of the streetstocks begins to roll multiple times on its side until it slams into the safety fence.
Meanwhile, a second car speeds into the first as it is rolling and is pitched straight into the air before clipping the top of the safety fence and landing among the crowd where it comes to a rest on its roof.
Luckily the public viewing area was not crowded and the car didn’t hit anyone, with both the drivers and all spectators able to walk away unharmed.
However, fans can be seen dashing in fright from the wreckage immediately after the crash.
One spectator group in particular had a lucky miss.
The group can be seen on video walking along without paying attention to the track when the car that flew over the safety fence lands just a few feet in front of them.
“It was very close to them, they weren’t looking at the track and they didn’t even see the car coming,” Mikaela Cruden, who filmed the video of the crash, said.
“It’s very lucky they weren’t walking a little bit faster.”
Cruden said she began filming because there was a big field of race cars on the track and was amazed to catch the crash on video because she hasn’t seen anything like it in 20 years going to the speedway.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever actually seen a vehicle go over the safety fence, and it’s quite shocking.”
Beachlands Speedway president Matt Stewart said thankfully no one was hurt in the “freak accident”.
“The drivers were OK and no one from the public was hurt,” he said.
A Facebook video captured the moment a race car flew over the safety fence in Dunedin. Photo / Mikaela Cruden
He said he cannot say too much about the incident as it will now be subject to a review by Speedway New Zealand.
However, he said nothing was wrong with the track conditions.
“It was a contact class, two cars made contact, one rolled over, the other doubled over it which sling-shotted it, it was nothing to do with the track,” he said.
Cruden said last night’s race meeting was cancelled after the crash, however tonight’s meeting looks set to go ahead again once the fence and some track lights are repaired.
She believed one of the drivers was from Invercargill and the other was a Dunedin local.
She said it was lucky the incident didn’t happen at tonight’s race at the same track as the crowd is expected to be bigger.
She agreed with Stewart that it was a freak accident, saying some rough and tumble is expected in the streetstocks grade as they do make contact with each other, but that was partly why it was her favourite grade to watch.
When Cruden’s video was posted to social media it had Dunedin locals posting in amazement.
“Holy crap. So glad no one was hurt”, one user wrote, while another said: “Wow that’s a crash and a half”.
