Aussie drag racer Steve Reed provided a spectacular demonstration of the safety of the sport of drag racing last night when he walked away from a spectacular crash at round one of the ENZED International Nightfire New Year Series at Willowbank Raceway with nothing more than a sore tongue and two minor burns which he likens to sunburn.

Reed’s Top Alcohol Funny Car suffered an engine explosion which saw the car quickly engulfed in flames, before it veered across the track and into the wall at what he estimates to be 400km/h as the body flew free from the chassis before the car came to a stop and Reed was able to exit the car unaided.

Aussie drag racer Steve Reed provided a spectacular demonstration of the safety of the sport of drag racing last night when he walked away from a spectacular crash at round one of the ENZED International Nightfire New Year Series at Willowbank Raceway with nothing more than a sore tongue and two minor burns which he likens to sunburn.

Reed’s Top Alcohol Funny Car suffered an engine explosion which saw the car quickly engulfed in flames, before it veered across the track and into the wall at what he estimates to be 400km/h as the body flew free from the chassis before the car came to a stop and Reed was able to exit the car unaided.

The incident occurred during the Top Alcohol category final of the first round of Willowbank Raceway’s ENZED International Nightfire New Year Series which will conclude with a second round in two weeks time on January 16/17, featuring Nitro Funny Cars and the Top Fuel and Top Bike categories in a Nitro invasion.

Today Reed reflected on his experience as he inspected the twisted and charred remains of his Top Alcohol Funny Car at his Brendale workshop.

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“We were in the final against Gary Phillips and we were on a good run, and then the engine exploded just before the finish line," said Reed.

"The fire engulfed the whole car before it veered off into the other lane, the body blew off and it hit the wall at about 400kmh.

“Everything did what it was supposed to do safety-wise and once the car came to a stop I was able to just undo the seat belt and hop out of the car unaided.

"Any day that you can hit a wall at 400 kilometres in flames and just hop out without any problems is a good day I think!

“It really is just a testament to the safety of these cars, Willowbank Raceway and the sport of drag racing in general that I walked away with the very minor injuries I have - a sore tongue from biting it on impact and some small burns on my forehead and on my back that are more like sunburn.

"I was kept at the hospital overnight just to be sure but I didn’t want to be there, I wanted to be back at the track helping the crew pack up as I didn't really feel I needed to be there - it really is just amazing when you see the footage and just shows how safe the sport is.

“A lot of people have asked about the body flying off like it did and whether that was supposed to happen, and it is a good thing, the body was the main thing burning and by lifting off it didn’t contain the fire – it did exactly what it was supposed to do and yes it made a great sight.

“To lose the final and to be faced with the repair bill isn’t so good, but we are still leading the Top Alcohol championship and with the next round in Perth at the end of February we will see what we can do to get there.

“I love this sport, this is what my family and I do and love, so no there are no sore thoughts about it and no thoughts of retirement or worries that it is dangerous – I want to get back into it and we will be working to make that happen as soon as possible.

Reed’s son Daniel – also a racer – was on the start line when the incident occurred.

“We were on the start line and it looked like a nice run, and then we saw the flashing flame and knew something was going on,” said the 27 year old.

“We couldn’t see very well as we were on the start and they were so far down the track – so we started running down there.

“We were pretty confident he would be okay even before we got there as we know how safe this sport is and how safe the cars are and have seen it demonstrated before, but yes, there was relief when we actually saw him at the end of the strip walking around.”

Managing Director of Willowbank Raceway Steve Bettes said he was happy to see that Reed – a board member of Willowbank Raceway – had walked away unscathed.

“Steve and his entire family are very close to everyone here at Willowbank Raceway and we are very happy to see that he is in good shape,” said Bettes.

“All of the safety equipment from the track, the car and his peronsal gear worked exactly how they should and to see him so chipper today and ready to race again just shows how safe this sport really is.”

Reed was competing in the Top Alcohol category of round one of the ENZED International Nightfire New Year Series, which was run over January 2 and 3 at Willowbank Raceway and also featured the Nitro Funny Cars, Top Doorslammer and Pro Stock Motorcyle categories. The second and final run will be held in two weeks time on January 16/17 and feature the Nitro Funny Cars and Top Fuel and Top Bike categories in a Nitro invasion.