By Russell Bennett
Pakenham man Tom McKenna says he’s thankful he ‘only’ sustained a broken back from a shocking rollover in a speedway event he competed in on the weekend.
Mr McKenna, 28, said the quality of the safety equipment in his vehicle and the helmet he was wearing ensured his injuries weren’t even more severe.
He remembers the crash vividly.
“I was racing for fourth position and I came in high and there was a gap at the bottom of the track, and the bloke behind me saw the gap and tried to make a move and I was coming down as he was coming up, we met in the same place and got tangled up,” he said of the incident that happened at Redline Raceway in Ballarat.
He was quick to add the crash was an accident, and not the fault of any other driver.
“It was just a racing incident,” he said.
“We were both racing hard and fast and there’s just not much you can do about it.
“But all of the safety gear definitely did its job.
“If it wasn’t for that I’d hate to think how much worse off I really could have been.”
Mr McKenna, who has a fiancée and two kids, said life as a family man “definitely” made him think twice about the crash.
The weekend’s incident marked the second time Mr McKenna had broken his back – the first being in 2014 while he was playing footy.
This time around he has fractures in his T4 and T5 vertebrae – between his shoulders – and expects to be off work for an extended period.
Doctors will reassess his spinal injuries in six weeks to determine how well they’re healing.
But he’s determined to get back behind the speedway wheel.
Although he’s been around the sport all his life, this was his rookie season as a driver.
Now though, Mr McKenna’s VS Commodore sport sedan is facing a complete, costly rebuild in order for him to get back behind the wheel for next season – which starts in late September.
“We’re just at the start of this journey really, and we’ve come too far and invested too much into it just to give it away now,” he said.
“It’s a freak accident, it really is.
“I’ve watched way bigger crashes than what I’ve just had week in, week out at speedway meetings and drivers grab their helmets and gloves and walk away from them.
“This is just one of those freak things.”
In terms of the rebuild of his car, Mr McKenna said he’d have to “start again from a fresh base”.
“There are going to be some parts we’ll be able to pull off and re-use, but we’re looking at $10,000 to go again,” he added.
Since the accident, Mr McKenna has constantly praised those who came to his aid at the race track, particularly the race officials and infield crew.
“I want to thank Redline Raceway and all their infield crew and stewards for being so responsive and professional on the way they treated me,” he said.
“Until you have been in this position, you can never understand how emotional it is, (and) to have their support and offers of comfort as I was being assisted was just unforgettable.
“Thanks to everybody in the motorsport community and my circle of support for their messages and offers of conversation and/or assistance to get me back on track again when I recover. I am humbled by how many people care.”
Mr McKenna said finally being able to compete as a driver in the sport he loves was “a dream come true”, and he’s hell-bent on getting back behind the wheel.
But he couldn’t compete at all without the help of his sponsors, and he’s hoping they get behind him once again for next season.
Those sponsors include: HSV Electrics, Ramsdale Wreckers, Victory Lane Racegear, Total Autos Pakenham, Allcare Exhausts, Pakenham Towing, Smooth Suspension, Good Guys Performance, Highline Racegear, Hush Designs, Miles Mechanical, Ripper Stickers, Howler Brewing Company, and Miller Motorsports.
Anyone looking to get behind Mr McKenna in his bid to return to the track should search for ‘McKenna Motorsport’ on Facebook.
Information and quotes from Dean Thompson at DMT Sports Media contributed to this report.
To view Mr McKenna’s rollover, click on the video below…
