Supercar driver Luke Youlden tells court Lambo driver Alexander Campbell ‘accelerated excessively’
A professional supercar driver has told a court that the driver of a Lamborghini involved in a fatal crash likely used “excessive throttle” while driving in sports mode.
Police & Courts
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A professional supercar driver and trainer has told a court Lamborghini driver Alexander Campbell must have “got on the gas excessively” for his luxury car to lose control and crash into two pedestrians.
Luke Youlden, 44, told the District Court that Mr Campbell was likely driving in “sports mode” when he struck and killed 15-year-old Sophia Naismith and injured her friend Jordyn Callea while behind the wheel of a $330,000 white Lamborghini Huracan with the licence plate PSYKO at Glengowrie on June 22, 2019.
Youlden, the 2017 Bathurst 1000 winner, told the court the use of “excessive throttle” or “hard acceleration” for the conditions had likely led to the crash.
“You only have to lose a bit of traction for it to slip off course,” he said
“I mean cars do not just drive down the road at 53km/h and just turn left, it has to respond to an input.
“Looking at this, knowing the car, the only way it can turn left like that is to get on the gas excessively.”
Giving evidence via video link from Queensland, Youlden also told the court that if the driver had instead accelerated “moderately” the vehicle would have accelerated slowly, shifted its weight to the rear and continued in a straight direction.
He told Judge Muscat, who is presiding over the trial without a jury, that he first drove the vehicle on the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit when it was first introduced to Australia at a press launch in 2016.
On that occasion, he said he was only allowed to drive in strada mode, which is recommended when using the vehicle for everyday driving. He said he had also privately driven the car in sport mode and corsa, or track, mode.
“Generally hard acceleration in strada mode will cut the engine quite quickly so it needs to be in a mode other than strada to lose rear wheel slip like that,” Youlden said.
“It’s very unusual for a car to lose that much slip in a safe mode like (strada).”
Mr Campbell is standing trial after pleading not guilty to charges of causing death and harm by dangerous driving.
Mr Campbell has declined to give evidence, or call any witnesses.
Opening the trial last week, Kos Lesses, prosecuting said Mr Campbell had been witnessed “fishtailing” by five people prior to the crash.
The court has also heard Mr Campbell was told his rear tyres needed to be replaced a week before the crash.
The trial will continue with closing addresses on Friday.
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