Jay Upton: Top Fuel motorcycle competitor suffers burns after explosion at Perth Motorplex in Kwinana Beach

WA drag racing great Jay Upton suffered burns and a crew member was rushed to hospital after a terrifying explosion at Perth Motorplex on Saturday night. It’s understood that Upton suffered minor hand burns and the crew member was in a stable condition after being taken there about 11.30pm on Saturday by St John WA. The pit crew member was hospitalised for burns and shock. Upton is known as the White Knight in the drag racing community because of his all-white racing kit and nitro methane-powered dragster. The get-up resembles that of the iconic Top Gear character The Stig. Upton was back in Perth on Saturday for the 49th instalment of Perth Motorplex’s Goldenstates event, which was headlined by the nitro funny cars, which can race 400m in 3-5 seconds, reaching speeds of 500km/h. Upton was making a highly anticipated return on his Honda top fuel bike. Round one of his category was held at 5.38pm on Saturday, round two at 7.37pm, before the final at 9.29pm. Speaking after his first event, Upton said his team had a scare when one of the tyres was blown off his bike. “The conditions were difficult for us to run in because of how hot it is, but we took a stab,” he said. “Early in the piece, it blew the tyre off not once but twice, but it looks like fortune was with us. “We’ve won one, now two more to go.”