Technician who turned into human fireball in rally car accident sues for £5m

A top rally car technician who went up in flames during training for a 1,300-mile desert race is suing one of Britain's top motorsport firms for £5m compensation.

Matt 'Bubba' Finney caught fire after being soaked in highly volatile racing car fuel whilst filling up a high performance Prodrive Hunter T1+ rally car ahead of the November 2021 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.

Mr Finney, 52, was put in an induced coma for three months and went through extensive skin grafts and surgery in Dubai for four months before returning to the UK.

Almost four years on, he has launched a massive compensation case against Prodrive Motorsport Ltd, which produces the rally raid machine, seeking damages for the impact his injuries have had on his life.

The firm is one of the biggest British names in motorsport, designing and building Aston Martin racing cars and the World Rally Championship-winning Subaru Impreza driven by Scotsman Colin McRae in 1995.

It continues to produce high-performance off-road vehicles including the Hunter, and works with Lewis Hamilton's X44 racing team in the electric-only Extreme E series.

Mr Finney also worked on a record-breaking Subaru WRX which lapped the Isle of Man in 17 minutes and 35 seconds at an average of 128mph in 2016.

Lawyers for the experienced mechanic, who has been with the firm for over 20 years, claim his accident was down to defective working practices.

Motorsport technician Matt Finney is suing his employer Prodrive after an accident turned him into a human fireball four years ago

He was taking part in testing of the Prodrive Hunter T1+ (pictured) in November 2021 in Dubai when a fuel pump sprang a leak

Mr Finney was left with severe burns across his face, chest and body, as well as his throat after the fuel ignited (pictured after the accident)

Prodrive maintains that the mechanic was himself at fault in failing to wear full protective equipment during testing of the 600bhp turbocharged off-roader, which saw it driven on a 22-mile loop simulating desert conditions before being refuelled.

Court documents filed by his barrister James Candlin claim that a 'fountain-like spray of fuel' shot out of the fuel pump after he had attached the nozzle to the car itself.

Prodrive, he alleged, had failed to deploy enough crew for the refuelling procedure and had not trained staff comprehensively in the new Piusi Ex50 refuelling pump - which he alleged was not designed to operate above 40C. 

Mr Finney is said to have slipped on fuel that had spilled onto a tarpaulin sheet on the ground - allegedly sparking the fire. Racing fuels are also 'volatile', his lawyers said.

'Mr Finney attempted to run back to the barrel and pump to switch it off, but slipped on fuel in the ground tarpaulin whereupon fuel or fuel vapour ignited, and he was engulfed in the subsequent conflagration,' Mr Candlin said in the papers.

The mechanic was rushed to a Dubai hospital via rough roads, where he was treated for burns to his head, face, chest, back, upper and lower limbs and his throat.

Although Mr Finney began a 'phased' return to work, he continued to be dogged by scarring and chronic pain, along with flashbacks and mental trauma, his lawyers say.

Mr Candlin continued: 'The claimant has recently been medically certified as unfit for work... but when fit for work since the accident he has been limited to engagements mostly in desk work, rather than hands-on mechanical roles for which he is trained.'

Prodrive insists Mr Finney brought disaster on himself by neglecting essential safety procedures, with barrister Vaughan Jacob claiming: '(His) decision to refuel the car while it was hot led to the ignition of the fire'.

He added: 'Had he worked with two other colleagues as required, it's likely the pump would have been turned off immediately when it began to leak, and before the leaking fuel ignited.'

Mr Finney suffered severe burns across his body, including to his upper and lower limbs

Mr Finney maintains that staff had not been properly trained in the use of a new fuel pump - but Prodrive has fired back that he did not follow safety procedures

The Prodrive Hunter T1+ has been used in rallying events such as the world-famous Dakar (pictured competing in January 2022, two months after Mr Finney's accident)

Prodrive built the legendary Subaru Impreza raced by Scottish rally driver Colin McRae when he won the World Rally Championship in 1995

While Mr Finney was 'valued and highly experienced', Prodrive maintains he failed to properly assess the risks, did not wear the right safety equipment, failed to check the fuel pump connections were secure and did not use the correct fuelling area.

At the time of the accident early in the morning, the temperature was below 40 degrees, which meant the fuel pump in use was 'within its safe temperature range', the barrister added.

With a trial date still to be fixed, Mr Finney's claim came before Master Gary Thornett in the High Court as lawyers on both sides hammered out what evidence should be heard at the trial.

Technical experts are still trying to pinpoint the precise cause of the fire.

Addressing the impact of the burns on Mr Finney, barrister Rob Hunter said the trial would also need to hear expert evidence on 'stroke medicine' as the mechanic last year suffered a stroke which may have been triggered by his injuries.

'There's a potential link between his severe burns and that stroke,' said the barrister, adding: 'We think an expert would be helpful in addressing that potential link'.

The case will return to court at a later date.