Northland Street Sprint race car crashes into safety barrier and crowd but spectators escape injury

Spectators were unharmed after a race car collided with the safety barrier and into the crowd.

One woman grazed her elbow, and a few others were knocked over after a car spun out of control and smashed into crowds during the Northland MEGA Street Sprint on Sunday.

A video of the crash was shared online and shows a drag car knocking over several Whangārei spectators during the electrifying exhibition.

Event organiser and founder Dr Jacob Simonsen said the incident was in no way reflective of the overall safety of the event and he assured that no one was injured.

“We virtually had no other incidents.”

He said the drag event was a huge success, drawing a crowd of more than 7000.

Simonsen said the installed hay bales and water-filled barriers had helped absorb the impact and protected the public from any serious injury.

“Only one woman grazed her elbow after she fell backwards from the impact, I’m told,” Simonsen said.

The video, posted on TikTok, showed dozens of excited spectators bending over the barriers with their phones to capture the spectacular smokey drift of an oncoming car before the vehicle spun out of control and smashed into the hay bales and water-filled barriers before knocking a few people over.

The TikTok poster clarified that while her son did get hit from the impact, he was doing fine.

Simonsen said organisers did their best to ensure people had not only an entertaining time but also a safe experience.

“In this instance, some keen spectators were seen leaning or sitting on the barriers, which is dangerous, but our marshals took care of that.”

He added organisers were “constantly learning and growing” and would ensure the next year’s event would be safer and better.

Simonsen said it felt good to make a comeback after a gap of more than 20 years since the last event.

“Back then it was shut down because there was a lot of nervousness from the past local authorities. But now we are back to bring that excitement back,” he said.

A social media user shared a similar feeling of nostalgia on the Advocate’s Facebook page.

The commentator said he was glad to see “something exciting” happening in Whangārei, adding that the event brought back memories from his childhood when such events would be a “regular occurrence”.

Another pointed out they didn’t remember the last time when Whangārei hosted such an awesome event.

A couple of others felt Street Sprint should continue because the region has a hugely rich motorsport history and such an event would boost tourism.

Simonsen thanked the public, local businesses and the Whangārei District Council for their support and said he looks forward to the next event.

Avneesh Vincent is the crime and emergency services reporter at the Northern Advocate. He was previously at the Gisborne Herald as the arts and environment reporter and is passionate about covering stories that can make a difference. He joined NZME in July 2023.