Kangaroo hops to fame
2007-10-11 07:25
Sydney - Footage of a death-defying kangaroo bounding between race cars travelling at almost 200km/h in Australia has become a hit on video-sharing website YouTube.
The incident occurred last Saturday when the marsupial hopped onto the race track during practice for the Bathurst 1000 at the Mount Panorama track about 300km west of Sydney.
The supercharged cars, many spouting flames from their exhausts, braked and swerved, sending up clouds of dust, as they desperately tried to avoid the kangaroo.
It ran for some distance along the track, with cars speeding by on both sides, before eventually leaping away to safety.
Videos of the footage have appeared on YouTube. One of those said it has been viewed more than 18 000 times, with posted comments ranging from "gotcha! jaywalking joey.. yeah!" to "he looked like he was keeping up pretty good. I think they should just let him race."
"Somehow, they all avoided that kangaroo at the top of the mountain, that was amazing," the television commentators said in the footage, which can be seen at www.youtube.com.
Another marsupial was not so lucky three years ago. It was killed instantly after bounding in front of driver Jim Richard's vehicle, ending his race in dramatic fashion.
"We've seen 'roos on the track before but we've never hit one," he said at the time. "When they jump out in front of you, there's not much you can do. You don't have too much time to think."