During the Utah leg of Formula D, an unexpected collision occurred between Matt Field’s Corvette and Dylan Hughes’ BMW, leading to an aerial moment for the BMW.
Collision Details
In a dramatic turn of events, Matt Field’s Corvette was mounted by Dylan Hughes’ BMW during their one-more-time (OMT) run in the top four. As Field was leading, the two cars collided, resulting in Hughes’ left front wheel riding over Field’s right front. This maneuver launched the BMW E46 M3 into the air, sending it over the nose of the Corvette C6. Fortunately, both drivers emerged unscathed, each giving a thumbs-up to the crowd afterward.
Drivers’ Reactions
Following the incident, Hughes shared a light-hearted take on the accident. “I came up in there and the skinny pedal [throttle] was down,” the BMW driver recounted. “All of a sudden it was like a hovercraft and I’m just staring at the sky. I can’t see anything and I’m just like, ‘Oh my god I hope I’m not on top of Matt himself personally.’ I think I just climbed the back of the tire. I’m good. I feel bad. My rig is parked on top of Matt’s, that’s not what I had in mind. And we have to find my phone. My phone was ejected somewhere. We’ll figure that out later.”
Field also provided his perspective on the accident. “Dylan bumped me and I probably dropped a tire. I was still throttle down, but obviously going a lot slower because one tire is in the dirt,” the Corvette driver explained. “I hear him throttle down, then he’s pushing me, and we’re probably glued and I think he just climbed the front. That must have been it.”
Judging and Outcomes
The judges ultimately deemed Hughes to be at fault, which allowed Field to progress to the final against Ford Mustang driver James Deane. “All the judges unanimously put the fault on Dylan Hughes on this one,” said Formula Drift judge Reese Marin. “We made it a point in the drivers’ meeting to say, hey, when you get into outside zone three, make sure you let off, and that’s what we saw, clear as day. That’s what we were reviewing, and it was just an unfortunate process there. I’ve seen this four times in my life.”
In the final showdown, Deane emerged victorious against Field, while Adam LZ secured third place.