Now THAT’S a jump start: Racing cars at the Bathurst 12 Hour are forced to hit the brakes after two kangaroos hop onto the track and lead them up Mount Panorama
- Thirty race drivers hit were forced to hit the breaks during the Bathurst 12 Hour
- Two kangaroos invaded the circuit during the fifth practice race on Saturday
- Grant Denyer watched the drama and said a kangaroo ‘set the fastest the sector’
- Neither of the kangaroos were harmed and eventually moved out of the way
- Kangaroos regularly invade Bathurst races despite protective measures
Bathurst 12 Hour drivers were forced to hit the breaks when two kangaroos hopped onto the track during the fifth and final session.
A total of 30 race car drivers were flying around the circuit when the marsupials invaded the Panorama Mountain track at 8:45am on Saturday.
Within the first minute of the race, two kangaroos blocked drivers by hopping along the middle of the track at The Cutting, prompting a red flag to immediately halt the session.
The drivers slowly trailed the kangaroos and flashed their lights to make them move out of the way but the marsupials hopped down the middle of the road for 20 minutes.
Bathurst 12 Hour drivers were forced to hit the breaks when two kangaroos hopped onto the track during the fifth and final session on Saturday
At one point, one of the kangaroos tripped over, quickly moved to the side of the track and hopped away.
Shortly after at 9:10am, the second kangaroo moved from the middle of the track and the green flag was given to resume the fifth practice run.
Cars in the Bathurst 12 hour reach speeds of up to 295 kilometres per hour but luckily no kangaroos were hit by cars and they both managed to hop away uninjured.
Racing driver and TV host Grant Denyer, 42, competed in a Bathurst 12 Hour practice race on Friday and was watched the drama unfold from the sideline on Saturday.
At one point, one of the kangaroos (right) tripped over before quickly moving to the side of the track and hopping away
The Celebrity Name Game host shared two photos of the bizarre incident to Instagram.
‘This just happened. The whole field of Bathurst 12 Hour cars stopped for twp kangaroos on track. One roo even did half a lap on the circuit,’ he wrote.
‘Well done to @svg97 for stopping everyone to ensure the kangaroos were safe and well done to skippy for setting the fastest the sector over the top of the mountain. Ended well for everyone.’
Although a bizarre sighting for European drivers, the commentators pointed out that it is actually a regular occurrence in Bathurst races.
Racing driver and TV host Grant Denyer, 42, competed in a Bathurst 12 Hour practice race on Friday and was watched the drama unfold from the sideline on Saturday
‘For anyone who’s not raced here or in Australia before, it is a huge surprise. But it’s certainly not a new scenario for anyone who has been spectating here through the years, the past few decades,’ one of the commentators said.
‘Every race, you’ve got to be mindful of it.’
Last year, the Bathurst 1,000 track was fully fenced after a kangaroo hopped on the track.
The Bathurst Regional Council has attempted to prevent kangaroos from coming anywhere near the track over the years but the marsupials have continued to find a way in.
In 2017, a kangaroo on the track prompted a safety car tp be introduced in order to prevent a crash.
The Bathurst Regional Council has attempted to prevent kangaroos from coming anywhere near the track over the years but the marsupials have continued to find a way in