Driver hits kangaroo before multi-car accident suspends iconic motorsport event

German driver Christopher Mies has recounted his experience after striking a kangaroo at near top speed during the Bathurst 12 Hours.

Mies's #34 Haupt Racing Team Ford Mustang machine was travelling at around 250kph on the Conrod Straight early in the race when a kangaroo, believed to weigh as much as 100kg slammed into the car.

Fortunately, despite being covered in blood, Mies was uninjured as he pulled the stricken car over.

NOTE: Graphic details follow. 

He vomited trackside after being also covered in the remains of the kangaroo, which are often a problem at Bathurst, which is held at Mount Panarama in New South Wales, with the state home to an estimated 14 million kangaroos.

After a check-up, Mies recounted his tale.

"We were all in line, and basically within a thousandths of a second, a millisecond, the kangaroo showed up on the left, obviously at a very high speed," Mies told Speedcafe.

"So the moment I saw it was the impact. It was very unfortunate, and it was quite a big one, but honestly, I’m glad that we have such a safe racecar; it could have been much worse.

"If I can just imagine the whole kangaroo would have come inside. I mean, half of it was inside, so I’m glad I’m standing here now.

“The issue was, I couldn’t see anything anymore; the windshield was fully smashed. Obviously, I was covered in blood and whatever is inside a kangaroo.

"My eyes were full of blood and, how you call it, the guts from the kangaroo, so I had to clean them first because I had no idea where I was.

"I looked through the side window, saw a wall and tried to go as close as possible to the wall on the left side.

"I still saw the cars coming from the rear, so I wanted to be in a safe place as much as possible, not that someone doesn’t see me or whatever and hits me again. So I just tried to make it the safe way."

The article continues below. 

Multi-car pile-up

It was not the only huge accident during the race, which was red-flagged for the first time since 2018 with a handful of hours remaining.

Race leader Ralf Aron was unable to avoid a stricken Porsche 911 GT3 R at Forrest's Elbow, ramming his Mercedes-AMG GT3 into the side of the stopped ca of Johannes Zelger, with an Aston Martin Vantage also blocking the track. 

Aron was believed to be in good health, but was taken to hospital as a precaution.

The race was ultimately won by Maro Engel, Mikael Grenier, and Maxime Martin in a Gruppe M Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO.