There were bizarre scenes at the latest round of the British Touring Car Championship as one vehicle careered off the track before getting stuck up a tree.
Will Martin was battling to hold off Theo Edgerton after the first corner at Brands Hatch, when the two made contact at high speed. The clash proved enough to send Martin careering off the track and into the barriers.
The impact was harrowing though, with Martin's vehicle spinning out of control as it smashed into tyres before catapulting up into an overhanging tree. The driver was left grateful to a nigh on miracle though, with him - and his car - somehow nestling between the branches as opposed to crashing back down to the ground.
Marshals were seen running for cover as debris flew in all directions, with the Porsche Carrera Cup race immediately red flagged. But officials soon flocked back to the scene where Martin, somehow unharmed, was helped down by a recovery crew.
The horrifying incident came on the same day that F1 hit the headlines for the wrong reasons, with race officials allowing the Japanese Grand Prix to continue despite a tractor being out on the track. There were nearly fatal consequences, with an unsighted Pierre Gasly not seeing the yellow vehicle as he sped past.
That said, some fans and pundits did see the funny side of Martin's near-miss, with @EngineMode11 tweeting the footage with the caption: "Never seen a race Red Flagged for a car stuck in a tree before…" while @ste4kngr4vy added: "I was certain this was gonna be a realistic computer game. Apparently not."
However, others referenced the potential consequences, with @MitchTheF1Bitch posting: "I think we can all appreciate how fortunate we are to say that nobody was injured here, but that is rather scary and I have heard Brands Hatch has had similar incidents and near-misses like this before. How many times must something like this happen before action is taken?"
The apparent lack of robustness on the barrier was also a talking point, with @chris_pointon tweeting: "Watched this a couple of times and it was a very lucky outcome. I was shocked how easily it went through the barrier though and the marshal was lucky the tree was there." @LTremeer replied: "It’s almost like the barrier can’t cope with the speed of the car."
The event in Kent represented the final round of the 2022 Championship. It was Tom Ingram who was crowned overall champion for the first time, finishing 12 points clear of Ashley Sutton.
