Sprintcar driver walks away from spectacular crash

A young Geraldton speedway driver has walked away unharmed after a spectacular crash in a race event.

Callum Williamson was competing in the 2015/16 AHG Sprintcar Series when his sprintcar's rear left tyre blew as he tried to secure his second podium finish of the season.

Williamson was in the midst of making a daring pass on the last corner when his tyre popped, sending him flying into the railing and leaving him in a precarious position.

The sprintcars Williamson races regularly reach top speeds of 170km/h, which means it’s a hair-raising experience when something causes him to lose control.

“You can’t explain it. You feel like you’re on a rollercoaster that’s just come off the rails,” he said.

“You just close your eyes, hang on and just hope it stops.”

Luckily on this occasion the 22-year-old was uninjured and the car only sustained minor damage, meaning he should be primed to improve upon his current sixth place standing in the drivers’ championship.

“It’s still in good shape it just went upside down and bent the top and that was about it,” Williamson said.

“At the start of the season we were trying a different motor, a bigger motor, and I didn’t really like it, so I told the crew we’d just go back to what we know.

“(We) switched to a smaller engine which we knew we ran better last season and started getting good results.”

The Geraldton local grew up racing go-karts before making the switch when he was 16 and since then he hasn’t looked back.

“Everyone says it takes a five-year apprenticeship to get the hang of speedway and I think now I’m just more mature with racing and starting to get results and get the hang of it,” he said.

Williamson’s family was heavily involved with speedway and he said sometimes he has to pinch himself when he comes up against drivers he used to idolise when he was younger.

“I looked up to Ryan Farrell when I was young and used to go watch him all the time, and now when I line up beside him in a race track and I’m actually racing him it’s a good adrenalin-rush,” he said.

“Getting beside the big names and passing them… makes you feel like you’ve achieved something.”

While 2015 is almost over, Williamson has his sights set on the famous Krikke Boys Shootout in 2016 after a strong showing at the prestigious event last year.