Meeanee Speedway crash: Watch new footage from inside ‘scary’ demolition-derby car crash

It was only Dylan Brun’s third demolition derby race, but his epic crash and miraculous escape at the weekend is something he might never top.

The crowd at Meeanee Speedway applauded as the 22-year-old line mechanic stepped out of his car mostly uninjured, which shortly before rolled after being shunted on the first corner of the derby race before being hit head-on by a fellow racer.

Before the race, Brun’s mate suggested he take his GoPro with him inside the car. The footage survived the incident and shows the terrifying moment of the crash from Brun’s perspective.

“As I was coming to the corner I was getting pushed from behind, as you do during a derby, and just happened to hit the wall at a funny angle. The car decided to lift up on the wall and roll over and ended up facing the opposite direction head-on with the other cars coming around the corner,” Brun said.

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“As I sat there on the wall I thought for a second I could probably get out of this, then it rolled back over and that is when that car hit me.”

“It scared the s*** out of me. I was just like ‘Woah, what the hell just happened?’ ”

He said he was stuck upside down for about a minute while the race was temporarily stopped and he was assisted out of the vehicle.

“It was good fun, but scary. I was pretty lucky”

He escaped serious injury as the impact occurred mostly on the passenger side of the cabin.

“We’ve got the roll bar and that obviously helps a lot with where I got hit because you see where the plate is on the top, if that wasn’t there, there would have been more impact on my side of the vehicle.”

The only physical mark left by the incident is a small bruise on his arm.

The damage to his car, on the other hand, meant its derby days were likely over.

Dylan Brun says he was "pretty lucky" to walk away from a crash at Meeanee Speedway at the weekend.

“It still drives, but the roof is a bit too stuffed to be safe enough to race again.”

So does he plan to drive in another derby race?

“My parents reckon I am not allowed to,” he laughs. “But I reckon I’ll do another one, maybe.”

All cars entering demolition derbies have to meet Speedway NZ requirements, such as installing a roll bar.

Meeanee Speedway club promoter David Jones said earlier demolition derby car rolls were very rare and this was the first time in the last few years he had seen one.

Meeanee Speedway is preparing for a massive event to begin the New Year, hosting the NZ Superstock Championship on January 4-6.

Jones expects crowds of about 6000 to 7000 each night of the event.

James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz