We’ve seen plenty of drag racing crashes around the web in the last year, but this one stands out for it’s right-up-in-your-face footage. As the story goes, Australian photographer Jesse Kelly was covering the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship at FUCHS South Coast Raceway in Portland, Victoria, Australia, with a pair of remote cameras hanging out around the 200-foot mark.

At the starting line in the far lane was ANDRA Supercharged Outlaws racer Mick Mahoney in his brand-new Ford Capri, who had no idea that his day was about to get exponentially worse. Right at the sixty-foot clocks, Mahoney’s machine begins a hard left turn that quickly turns into a sideways slide, up on two wheels, before he swaps lanes just behind his competitor and goes nose-first, on the roof, into the wall. The nose of the car is demolished as it goes up the wall and flies past the pair of cameras, knocking one of them over in the process.

Mahoney’s machine continues barrel-rolling down the track before finally coming to rest, allowing the safety crew to get to him and get him out of the car. Luckily, there were only a few bumps and bruises on Mick’s physical being, but the car is another story altogether. However, Mick leaves himself open to repairing the car – the chassis held up in the crash except for forward of the engine.

Watch the interview with Mahoney just after the crash below.

It’s an amazing crash, and thankfully nobody was seriously hurt. That’s a testament to the skills and expertise of today’s chassis builders, and a strong vote in the yes column for having as much safety gear as you can afford. 

Thanks to Dragpix Australia for the trackside crash video, and Just Drag Racing for the interview with Mahoney.