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German driver Chris Mies had a terrifying, gruesome crash into a kangaroo during the 2026 edition of the famed Bathurst 12 hour race on Sunday in Australia.
The endurance race began at 5:45 a.m. local time and had to be halted less than 30 minutes in due to the incident, which left Mies’ car, and the poor animal absolutely destroyed.
“We were all in line and basically within a thousandths of a second, a millisecond, the kangaroo showed up on the left, obviously at a very high speed,” Mies told Speedcafe.
“So the moment I saw it was the impact. It was very unfortunate and it was quite a big one, but honestly, I’m glad that we have such a safe race car, it could have been much worse.”
Chris Mies Describes Brutal Scene After Crash Into Kangaroo
While it could have been worse, Mies did recount a pretty nasty scene. This is the part where animal lovers probably want to turn away.
“If I can just imagine the whole kangaroo would have come inside. I mean, half of it was inside, so I’m glad I’m standing here now.”
Mies said he ended up having to vomit due to the gruesome nature of the crash.
“The issue was, I couldn’t see anything anymore; the windshield was fully smashed. Obviously, I was covered in blood and whatever is inside a kangaroo,” he said. “My eyes were full of blood and, how you call it, the guts from the kangaroo, so I had to clean them first because I had no idea where I was.”
Safety workers immediately escorted him to the tracks’ medical center, where he was able to shower. He then went back to his hotel, where he took a second shower before returning to the track.
The incident marks the second time in three weeks that a kangaroo has interrupted a major Australian sporting event. In last month’s Santos Tour Down Under cycling race, a crossing kangaroo caused a crash that nearly ended the hopes of race leader and eventual winner Jay Vine.