TWO people were tonight recovering in hospital after a rally car crashed off a racing track in Abingdon.

The incident happened as the car veered off the circuit, onto a grass verge and hit a number of people at Abingdon Motorsports CAR-nival this morning.

Two people — a 60-year-old man from Hampshire and an 18-year-old from Surrey — were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Police said the injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.

Alun Griffiths, of Bridgend, South Wales, was a navigator for another driver at the show, at Dalton Barracks. He said: “I just saw the two bodies lying there and the ambulance staff attending to them.”

Thames Valley Police spokesman Adam Fisher said the two injured people were marshals at the event.

A 22-year-old photographer from High Wycombe also received minor injuries, he added.

The driver and co-driver of the car were treated at the scene for shock after the incident, at about 9.30am.

Jill Moram, of South Wales, came to the two-day event with her family, including her partner, who was driving.

She said: “We really thought they were going to call off the show. We were prepared to go home and pack everything up.

“We didn’t see it because it happened quite far away. We just saw the air ambulances, there were two of them.

“It’s tragic that this has happened – they are pretty good with safety at these events.”

Ms Moram said the event was part of a championship circuit where drivers competed to collect points.

She added: “It is a very sociable weekend, there is a bar and barbecue and people stay overnight in tents, the weather is usually glorious. This sort of thing has never happened before.”

A 53-year-old onlooker, who asked not to be named, said: “It put a dampener on the day.”

Event co-ordinator Barry Guess said: “It was just an unfortunate accident. Until I’ve had a chance to work out what happened, I can’t really comment. But we got a brilliant response from the emergency services and everything turned out alright”

Police explained the event continued after the crash and police were investigating the incident with the Health and Safety Executive and British Motorsports Association.

A collision between two cars closed the A4260 between Banbury and Oxford this afternoon.

Police spokesman Victoria Bartlett said a blue Suzuki Swift and a blue Ford Mondeo, both travelling south, collided near the Bletchingdon turn just before 4pm.

The driver of the Suzuki, a man aged 18, was taken to Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries after his car overturned.

The driver of the Ford Mondeo was treated for shock. The road was shut for about an hour.

esimmonds@oxfordmail.co.uk