Sydney driver Jaiden Maggs had a lucky escape at the Newcastle 500 on Sunday after being forced to put out his own car fire in the third and final Toyota 86 race.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 23-year-old, who competes in the Supercars support category alongside his father Gerard with the Sieders Racing Team, exited the vehicle when he saw flames underneath his bonnet.
"It's only my second year of racing so I've never seen that before," Maggs told the Newcastle Herald.
"I saw the fire and thought geez I better get out. I was thinking Fast and the Furious when they all blow up, but I guess we're not running nitrous tanks and stuff like that.
"Luckily I saw it straight away, pulled over as soon as I could, got straight out and grabbed the fire extinguisher. It was just quick thinking I guess."
The incident occurred shortly after a multi-car crash on turn two, coming off Watt Street onto Shortland Esplanade not far from Newcastle Police Station.
Maggs then partly made his way down the section of track more affectionately known as "the staircase" towards Newcastle Beach before pulling over.
"I came up to turn two and I was racing with one of the other guys," he said.
"I went to take a pass, saw the car spun around in the middle of the road and we both tried to avoid it.
"As we both turned someone hit me from the back, I hit him and he hit the guy parked in the middle.
"I've gone into the only exit anyone could take and just got slammed by everyone.
"There wasn't much I could do. I was an innocent bystander."
Maggs was one of four drivers not to finish the Toyota 86 race.
"It just wasn't my afternoon," he said.
Maggs was 15th in race two earlier that same day.
