The fire was swiftly extinguished at pit entry, although not before a reasonable amount of damage was done to at least the bodywork.
Thankfully, Golding was able to extract himself from the burning car without sustaining any injuries.
Speaking to Speedcafe, he detailed the incident and his escape.
“I was about to start a flying lap and went into the last corner and there was a bit of a puff and then flames on the inside of the car,” he said.
“I had no real idea what it was. I pressed the extinguisher straight and started slowing down.
“I was going to stop, but thought I better try and get into pit lane closer to more extinguishers. I got there and got out as quick as I could. Luckily I got out safely.
“I got out and there was extinguishers going off, so I couldn’t see how bad the fire was. But there was definitely flames all the way from the entry to the last corner to the pits.”
Golding was briefly attended to by on-site medics to check for smoke and extinguisher dust inhalation, and while he was uninjured, he admitted it was a hair-raising situation.
“Bit of extinguisher dust, a bit of smoke, although it wasn’t really smoky,” he said. “But I feel fine.
“The heart rate was up a fair bit when I was out, though. I don’t think I’ve felt my heart rate that high before.”
The early indications are that it was battery-related, although that is yet to be confirmed by the team.
As for whether the damage is just superficial and the car will be repaired for this weekend’s Sydney 500, Golding said: “I hope so. I’m guessing so but I’m not sure.”
Discussion about this post