LOCAL drag racer Phil Lamattina is expected to make a full recovery from a crash at Queensland’s Willowbank Raceway that left him with severe back injuries.
Lamattina, from Wemen, 30km south west of Robinvale, crashed at speed when the chassis of his Fuchs Top Fuel Dragster failed during a race on Saturday.
Lamattina suffered fractured vertebrae and damaged ribs in the accident but fortunately did not sustain damage to his spine.
Lamattina Top Fuel Racing Team crew chief Aaron Hambridge spoke after the accident at the Fuchs Winternationals.
“The car has run down the race track, it was a clean run with nothing out of the ordinary, it got to about the 1000 foot mark and it appears that one of the top chassis rails has possibly failed and caused the car to fold in half and launch itself in the air and down he came from there,” Hambridge said.
“The safety aspects of the car have done what they needed to do 100 percent.
“He has hurt his back but that has nothing to do with the car’s integrity.”
Medical staff at Princess Alexandra Hospital told LTFR they expected Lamattina to make a full recovery, the driver’s brother, Angelo, said via the team’s Facebook page.
“Phil is still undergoing evaluation for surgical and non-surgical treatments and we are weighing up the options,” he said.
For more great sporting stories, grab yourself a copy of Wednesday’s Guardian (June 10).
