Red Bull Ampol driver Scott Pye talks about major crash at 13 that left him fighting for life

He has had a few brushes with death on the racetrack, but for this SA-born Red Bull Ampol driver, the only crash that still haunts him happened at age 13.

Adelaide-born Supercars champ Scott Pye has had a few brushes with death on the road, but even he could hardly believe what The Advertiser’s Ben Hyde managed to survive.

In October 2021, the newspaper’s former deputy editor was rear-ended by a drug driver speeding down West Terrace at 170km/h, turning his car into a fireball and sending him on a journey of healing that lasts to this day.

Pye, 34, who races for Red Bull Ampol, knows first-hand just how fast that really is, with Supercars circuits recording speeds of anywhere up to 300km/h.

Red Bull Ampol driver Scott Pye has had several brushes with death throughout his Supercars career. Picture: Supplied

“Doing 170km/h on the road is utter madness,” Pye told The Advertiser.

“There are too many things out of your control and there are variables that you just can’t be aware of … That effectively makes any speed on the road faster than what we do on the track, because you can’t foresee what’s going to happen.

“If you have an accident at Bathurst, the walls are there to disperse that energy over a longer period, and that’s the biggest difference that most people don’t understand.”

Despite several serious crashes in his career that left him with broken bones and internal trauma, the only one that still haunts him happened off the track.

At the age of 13, Pye was a passenger in a car that his friend was driving from Warrnambool back to his hometown of Mt Gambier.

It was a long drive back from a sprint car meeting, and Pye’s friend, whom he remains close with to this day, fell asleep at the wheel.

The car crashed and rolled twice, leaving him trapped inside.

The wreckage of the car that nearly became Scott Pye’s coffin. Picture: Supplied

Pye was airlifted to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, and given a 15 per cent chance of survival. Later, his parents told him they were privately preparing their goodbyes.

“I was in a coma for a few days and I ended up having to use a wheelchair for six months,” he said.

“I broke 25 bones including my cheek, I broke my femur in two places, the tibia and fibula in both legs, and I shattered my ankle to the point it was reconstructed … My left leg is still shorter than my right leg by about 2.5cm because of that crash.

“I was given a pretty harsh reality check that if you make a mistake on the road, a sudden stop can be deadly. I think at a young age, going through a road accident made me appreciate how different the circumstances are when you get into a road car compared to a race car.”

Pye with his parents during the recovery stage. Picture: Supplied

As a result of the injuries to his legs, one is still shorter than the other to this day. Picture: Supplied

Pye’s second close call came at the Bathurst 1000 in 2015, when his steering failed and he slammed sideways into a barrier.

“I knew for a split second before I hit the wall that this was going to be painful because side impact is the worst way to crash,” Pye said.

“There’s no crumple zone, so the cars aren’t really made for that kind of impact.

“As a race car driver, your ribs are sitting against a hard seat, so if you hit a wall, the first thing you feel is the impact in your ribcage.

Scott Pye’s car being taken back to the pits after crashing out during the Bathurst 1000 in 2015. Picture: Daniel Kalisz / Getty Images

“That’s what happened to me – I collapsed my lung, broke a few ribs off my spine and was actually unconscious for about three minutes.

“Adrenaline is one hell of a thing, and when you’re racing, you’re in fight or flight. It’s not like you really get scared because your adrenaline is already through the roof.”

A course of daily painkillers saw Pye race the Gold Coast 600 two weeks later.

Despite everything, he has never had second thoughts about his choice of career.

“You can have big accidents in a race, but it’s still no worse than being tackled in rugby,” he said.

“The conditions are what they are, but on the road, to this day, I won’t sleep as a passenger in a car.”

Pye with Red Bull teammates after their win at the 2024 Sandown 500. Picture: Supplied

When hearing stories like Ben Hyde’s, and other crashes where dangerous driving played a role, Pye said he could only shake his head.

The man who nearly killed Ben, then-47-year-old Luigi Gligora, was under the influence of cannabis and weight loss drugs at the time, and in April was sentenced to a minimum of two years in prison.

“That’s what frustrates me – that some people don’t understand how quickly things can go wrong,” he said.
“I’ve done a lot of driver coaching for amateurs and I don’t think people can appreciate – it sounds harsh – but how far away they are from an elite driving level.

“Having those accidents has made me realise that even when I think I’m cruising and running on muscle memory, you’re still operating on a high level.

“Even if you think you’re sharp, the chances are you’re not, particularly if you’ve been taking something which might reduce your reaction time.

“The sad thing is he learned all this the hard way.”

Pye will touch down in Adelaide this Friday supporting his teammates racing in the Vailo 500.

You can read Ben Hyde’s remarkable story of survival and strength in his own words here.