V8 Superboat Championship dreams have potentially gone up in flames for two Melton brothers following a crash that left Nate Mullan lucky to be alive.
Nate Mullan said he had decided to “go for the win” during the top three elimination rounds in Griffith late last month, when roaring into the last corner his boat Ripshift clipped the inside bank.
The boat was launched upside down and into a tyre bank, before it burst into flames.
Nate and navigator Nic Vertocchi miraculously escaped uninjured, but were left to watch their $130,000 boat smolder as safety crew scrambled to control the blaze.
Nate said watching Ripshift burn was traumatic.
“[We were] very lucky to escape,” he said.
“If I got stuck I probably would have died.”
Nate has questioned the systems in place at the event to deal with fire.
Footage shows safety crew first coming to check on the team, before a single fire extinguisher arrives within 15 seconds of the fire erupting and struggling against the blaze for more than two minutes before more extinguishers arrive.
“People found three [more] fire extinguishers from the food tent outside of the race track,” he said.
“Safety crew tried but were not trained… I had to put out my own boat.
The Australian Formula Jet Sprint Association (AFJSA) is investigating the accident, but volunteer board member Kyle Elphinstone said the crash was dealt with appropriately.
“The ultimate goal is to preserve life, so if there’s an accident, to get to the boat as soon as possible to extract the driver,” he said.
“Twenty seconds after [the crash] there was a fire extinguisher which is, in our opinion, a quick response time compared to motor sport in general.”
“You can replace boats… but you can’t replace human life.”
Mr Elphinstone couldn’t confirm where at the track the fire extinguishers came from.
Nate and his brother Bastian both use Ripshift and are currently placing second and first in the series. The competitors are now scrambling to have it replaced before the next race in Keith on March 23.
Nate said they’re keen to hear from sponsors that might be able to help make it happen.
“The boat was special. It has never been beaten and will be hard to replace,” he said.
