Knee Injury Puts Team Owner Craig Scutella on the Sidelines
April 11, 2024
Dream Racing Australia team owner Craig Scutella is recovering from a serious knee injury that will see him miss track action for the next month.
The Gold Coast-based racer was involved in an incident at his race team’s shop after assisting with the unloading of its team's truck.
The injury saw the tendon and muscle ripped from his right knee cap and underwent an operation to rectify the injury.
He is currently working from home on light duties and will not be attending races from at least another month.
His Dream Racing Australia team is based in Knoxfield, Victoria, lead by Cameron Fisher and Kim Jane, who will steer the team’s ship in his absence Phillip Island for Round 3 of the Trans Am Series this weekend.
Scutella himself has competed in Trans Am and TA2 racing since its inception in Australia back in 2019, was already scheduled to have a lighter driving program for 2024. His injury has ruled him out of racing for this year.
The 64-year-old says that while the incident was unlucky, he is still looking forward to cheering on his team from the comfort of his own home.
“DRA tested at Winton back on Friday 8th March, and I was at our Knoxfield garage helping the boys before flying back to the GC later that afternoon,” said Scutella.
“While clearing the race car trailer, I was carrying rims/tyres down the ramp when my left foot slipped, and my right foot went up under my body as I fell.
“I ripped the tendon and muscles from my right leg kneecap/bone. When it happened, I could see this huge muscle bulge above my knee and thought “that isn’t good.”
“I left foot braked the hire car to Tullamarine, via a private hospital for an X-Ray and a chemist for pain relief and a walking stick.
“As I entered my QANTAS seat, the bloke next to me said “buddy – your knee doesn’t look too good.” I asked “Are you an Orthopaedic Surgeon?” and he said “yes – based out of Brisbane.”
“Simon, god bless his soul, texted a colleague (Jason Beer) on the Gold Coast, and by the time we landed in Brisbane, he had arranged my first appointment and operation the following week.
“My surgeon (Jason) likened it to someone attacking me with a samurai sword and cutting me inside to outside, just above the knee down to the bone.
“I’m now three weeks post-op, in a brace and on crutches for three months. I have lots of rehabilitation ahead and hopefully I’ll be back to normality in 6-9 months.
“Sadly, I will be missing all April events, but my team Kim Jane, Cameron Fisher and the crew will take great care of our stable of drivers at both Phillip Island for Trans Am and Sydney Motorsport Park for the TA2 Series a week later.
“I will be back to the track, on crutches, from May onwards.
“The morale to the story – no matter how old you are, when the guy who knows best – your Crew Chief (Cameron Fisher) says to slow down – you need to listen because accidents can occur so fast and out of the blue. I like to live life at 100 miles per hour, but this has certainly pulled the brakes on!”
Dream Racing Australia is set for consecutive racing weekends. Trans Am returns to the track at Phillip Island this weekend for Round 4 of its series. The following week, the TA2 Muscle Car Series competes at Sydney Motorsport Park.
