The pair were tussling for second position and the final transfer spot through to the A-Main of the Thunder on the Downs final on Saturday night (September 26).<\/p>\n
Attard had battled to make his way forward through the opening laps before the pair came together in Turn 3 with 17 laps remaining.<\/p>\n
The two drivers were hunting for the same piece of track when they made wheel-to-wheel contact.<\/p>\n
Saller\u2019s car was pitched into a rollover and landed heavily on the rear end, splitting the fuel cell and erupting into flames.<\/p>\n
The race was immediately halted as the fire continued to spread around the cockpit of Saller\u2019s battered machine while fire crews worked to control the blaze.<\/p>\n
Attard climbed from his car and sprinted towards the scene, reaching in over the fire to pull Saller from the burning wreck.<\/p>\n
Saller could be seen being restrained by the fire marshals as he appeared to vent his frustrations towards Attard for the incident.<\/p>\n
In an emotional interview, a visibly shaken Saller confirmed his frustration with the way the incident unfolded, but otherwise commended Attard\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n
\u201c[It\u2019s] something you don\u2019t want obviously, [to be] on fire,\u201d Saller said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got the best safety gear. I feel like I was on fire for a while, but I feel all right. I might have a couple of burns on my arms underneath.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessie was asking for it at that point,\u201d he said of the crash.<\/p>\n
\u201c[But] I can\u2019t respect him enough, I didn\u2019t know that he ran in. I feel like an arse for wanting to kick his head in, and it shows that he is a good person at heart when the helmet\u2019s and I\u2019m on fire that he runs in.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, you don\u2019t need to be doing that stuff, arguing over position. It was always going to happen, and we\u2019ve got a torn-up race car and we\u2019re putting our lives at risk for a transfer spot in a B-Main. It\u2019s just stupid.<\/p>\n
\u201cMain thing is I\u2019m okay. It\u2019s honestly the biggest thing that I fear is catching on fire. I\u2019m a big guy, it\u2019s not easy to get out of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a testament to the sort of person Jessie is when the helmet\u2019s off, for him to run in and help me, but the rest is the rest, I\u2019m on fire and feeling 100 emotions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attard added his viewpoint via social media, confirming that he came away from the incident unscathed.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirstly, I want to let everyone know that I\u2019m okay and thankfully escaped without any burns or serious injuries,\u201d Attard\u2019s post read.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just wanted to touch on the incident with Mick. As soon as I saw the fire, my first instinct was to get him out of the car and make sure he was okay and hadn\u2019t suffered any further injuries. I\u2019d hope that anyone would do the same for me in that situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs for the incident itself, I had no idea of the run Mick had going into the corner, and that\u2019s something I take responsibility for. Mick also probably wasn\u2019t aware that I had been running the bottom for the previous couple of laps, which ultimately led to a racing incident.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also want to give credit to Mick for how he handled himself and his interview afterwards. He had every right to be heated immediately after the incident, especially before seeing the replay. With the adrenaline and intensity that comes with driving these things, incidents like this can happen to any driver.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s disappointing to see two race cars damaged because of the incident. Hopefully both our team and the Saller team can get the cars repaired and turned around for Nowra next weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lachie McHugh was untouchable in the A-Main, claiming back-to-back victories on Friday and Saturday night and his seventh career Thunder on the Downs feature race win.<\/p>\n
He led home reigning Australian champion Jock Goodyer, with Queenslander Henry Titman rounding out the top three.<\/p>\n