London dad wins damages from racing car company after collision

Steve Walsh suffered neck and chest injuries after his Ariel Atom hit another car being driven by a teenager during his high-octane racing experience.

He later sued Everyman racing which runs the supercar race experience at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Cranleigh, Surrey claiming adults being driven at speed should not having to share the same race track with 'novice juniors' driving more slowly.

The driver of the Ariel Atom which can accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 2.89 seconds was knocked out in the impact.

Bosses at the track have since awarded electrician Steve a four-figure sum as compensation in an out-of-court settlement.

His lawyers now claim the case could pave the way for others injured on race days across the country to also take legal action.

The racing circuit forms part of the same Aerodrome site where former Ashes hero Freddie, 46, received life changing facial injuries in a high speed smash while filming for BBC 1 hit show Top Gear in 2022.

Steve's accident occurred in April last year when he booked a ‘junior supercar driving experience’ day for him and his then 15-year old son Jack.

He initially watched Jack complete laps at the former airfield in a Ferrari alongside an instructor on the purpose built junior racing track at the venue.

But when it came to his turn in an Ariel Atom sportscar for an ‘adrenaline pumping’ ride with a professional driver he learnt they would be doing so on the same junior racing track as the kids.

“I was totally shocked,'' said Steve. ''There had been kids of all ages driving all kinds of supercars around 40ft apart and it was real thrill for my son - but the reality is those cars don’t go that fast.

''It seemed obvious to me it was a real risk of driving our car 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 buggy hurtled into an oncoming Ferrari at up to 60mph. The force of the impact knocked out the Atom driver and threw the other car off the track and the Atom car engine started smoking before all the occupants were pulled out of the wreckage.

Steve, from Uxbridge, Middlesex said: “The driver had just put his foot down on the home straight when out of the blue a car turned in front of us. I saw it coming towards me but there was nothing we could do to avoid it. I thought I am going to die. There wasn’t even time to brace.

”My son who was watching was in tears when it happened. It must have been horrific to see like a F1 crash with all the smoke and fumes. There was smoke everywhere. He thought I could have been a goner.”

He added: "It is only a miracle that I am here talking to you today and not seriously inured like Freddie. It beggars’ belief that anyone would put teens with powerful supercars and other fast buggy’s on the same track. Instructors or not. It’s a total recipe for disaster. I kept thinking about what happened and how lucky I had been and what happened to Freddie, so I knew I had to do something to stop any other accidents.

"The company wanted to settle quickly, especially as it happened at 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. The next person might not be as lucky as me and it could be your child. So hopefully they will change the way they do things.”

Solicitor Magdalena Smacka from Manchester-based Express Solicitors which handled the case said: “Steve was very lucky to have escaped serious injury. People injured on other races tracks could now start claims. This company now needs to take urgent action to prevent any future accidents like his.”

Top Gear presenter Freddie - who has reputedly reached a reputed multi million settlement with the BBC over his injuries - told how he still suffers flashbacks and nightmares after his horror crash at the same venue.

He admitted he "shouldn't be here' in his first interview since the crash and says that he sometimes get overwhelmed and goes into rooms on his own to cry and that he will never be 100% but has a second chance and "just has to get on with it."

Despite the crash - the Everyman Racing website still boasts of the venue being the ‘home of top gear’ offering children from 10-years-old the chance to ‘experience driving for the first time’ in supercars with top speeds of up 200mph.

Everyman Racing have been contacted for comment.