Steve Walsh had been looking forward to a supercar driving experience day with his teenage son at Dunsfold Aerodrome – the test track that Top Gear is filmed on.
After watching his son drive a Ferrari alongside an instructor on the purpose-built junior racing track, it was his turn to ride along in an Ariel Atom sports car, which has a top of up to 150 mph, alongside a professional driver.
However, he was surprised to find out that they would be doing it on the same track as the kids.
Steve, a self-employed TV set electrician who has worked on films such as Everest and Into The Woods, added: “I was totally shocked. It seemed obvious to me it was a real risk driving so fast alongside unpredictable novice kids. The Atoms would weave around the inside at speed. But the organisers were the professionals so I trusted them to keep me safe.”
Two laps into his experience his worst fears came true when his buggy was involved in a high-speed collision with a Ferrari that was being driven by a child.
The force of the impact knocked out the driver and threw the Ferrari off the track, while the Atom’s engine started smoking.
Incredibly, the driver and Steve survived and he was fortunate to only be left with minor neck and chest injuries.
He said: “It is only a miracle that I am here talking to you today. It beggars’ belief that anyone would put teens with powerful supercars and other fast buggies on the same track. Instructors or not. It’s a total recipe for disaster. The company wanted to settle quickly, especially as it happened at the same airfield where Freddie Flintoff crashed.
“I want them to stop this risky practice. It is a fatal accident waiting to happen. I was lucky to survive it could easily have gone a different way and I could have been seriously injured or died.”
Former cricket star Freddie Flintoff suffered life-changing injuries in a high-speed accident on the same track while filming for Top Gear in 2022. He has since reached a multimillion settlement with the BBC over his injuries.
In the months following, Steve was unable to sleep properly through pain and after having time off work, he decided to take action.
Steve received help from our personal injury specialists and the organisers later admitted liability for his accident in an undisclosed out of court settlement.
Magdalena Smacka, Solicitor in OL/PL who worked on the case said: “Steve was very lucky to have escaped serious injury. People injured on other race tracks could now start claims. This company now needs to take urgent action to prevent any future accidents like his.”
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