Motorsport: Loose fuel cap blamed for serious burns to stock car driver

A Northland stock car crash resulting in a driver being seriously burnt was the result of a fuel cap not being replaced properly, an investigation has found.

The Labour Department investigated after the car, racing at the Whangarei stock car track on February 2, flipped and caught fire after contacting another car.

The crash resulted in the driver being admitted to the intensive care unit of Middlemore Hospital with burns to most of his body.

The investigation found that once the car in question had been through a scrutineering process the driver filled it with fuel but appeared not to have secured the cap afterwards.

The department said parties involved with the race meeting were volunteers under the Health and Safety in Employment Act and under the circumstances no breaches had occurred.

As a result of the investigation the department sent a letter to the sport's ruling body in Northland outlining safety recommendations.

They included ensuring that scrutineering was undertaken after any modifications or changes to vehicles; using true screw caps on fuel systems; placing limits on the size of the fuel tank throat opening; and the need for the fuel tank to be as far back from the driver's seat as possible to reduce the likelihood of the fuel systems being a cause or source of harm.

- NZPA