ONE of the region's top stock car racer is thanking his lucky stars today after having to be cut out of his banger following a pile-up at Foxhall Stadium.

ONE of the region's top stock car racer is thanking his lucky stars today after having to be cut out of his banger following a pile-up at Foxhall Stadium.

Adrian Ling, who is from the Norwich area, was lucky to escape unscathed when another vehicle rammed his car as he tried to get out of the window following the initial smash.

Driving for his Grumpy Old Men team, Mr Ling was involved in a crash on the final bend of Saturday night's 15-lap banger race final.

Jim Gregory, the Evening Star's stock car correspondent, was at the track at the time. He said: “The cars were just coming out of the bend and there was a big crash. He (Mr Ling) was in a pile of cars and was probably at the end of the pile. The next lot of cars came round and someone just piled into the back of him. The trouble was he had just got the seatbelts undone at the time.

“He was not out of the car, but out of his seat. It threw him across the other side of the car and ended up laying flat on his back.

“St John's Ambulance got to the scene as quickly as they could, but they didn't want to move him. They called the fire brigade because they needed to cut the roof off the car so they could get him out.”

Mr Gregory said as banger racers weld the doors of their cars shut, and it was feared Mr Ling might have spinal or neck injuries, the paramedics had been unable to get him out of the vehicle.

A spokeswoman for Suffolk Fire Service, which was called at 9.35pm, described him as being “severely trapped”.

It took firefighters just over an hour to release Mr Ling, who is believed to be in his early forties.

He was taken to Ipswich Hospital, but discharged shortly after 2am.

Roy Eaton, managing director of Spedeworth which runs events at the stadium, said: “It was actually one of his friends who came up behind him and didn't realise everyone was slowing down. It was a pure accident. He just went into the back of him and Adrian fell as he was trying to climb out of the car. Adrian was taken to Ipswich Hospital and I went up to see him a few hours later.

“He was ok, but had a bit of a headache. They had taken x-rays to make sure there were no head injuries but everything was clear. He just took some aspirin and was waiting to see a doctor before being discharged. He was very lucky.”