We've already mentioned that Bathurst will bite you, but this particular BMW E46 M3 GTR crash merits its own special mention. The first safety car of the race was caused by—you guessed it—a kangaroo hit. Roo snipers, you have failed us. Here's what it looks like to hit a skippy at speed.
You can see the damage caused by the kangaroo above. Kangaroos are bigger than you would think, and this one was big enough not only to knock the team's camera out of place, but to leave a big ol' hole in the front of their race car.
Driver Anthony Gilbertson crashed into the wall shortly after hitting the kangaroo at 136 MPH and came to a rest right at the Conrod Straight.
The number 46 Motiv8 Racing Team M3 was done for the weekend afterwards, though. Gilbertson was "very gutted" that his two teammates didn't get to drive the car all weekend in his wrap-up post on Facebook. The car was running great in Class D and even out-dragged many Porsche Cup cars. Sadly, this is the last race he had planned for the car before selling it.
Need an E46 M3 GTR? This one runs great, but just has a bit of damage on the front.
Photo credit: Motiv8 Racing
DISCUSSION
Fun fact: bull bars like arb became popular/important in Australia not because they are nice winch/light mounting points but because they provide car saving and lifesaving protection against animal (read; kangaroo) strikes. Serious. its so common/the consequences so dire (hard to do a bush repair on a smashed radiator...i.e. you die) that the manufactures even offer then as factory options.