Bathurst’s adopted son has been involved in motorsport since he was 16 years old, and estimates he has raced at least 400 times in a variety of categories.

But it almost all came to an end on March 26 when the rally car he was competing in slammed into a tree during the Lake Mountain Sprint of the Australian Tarmac Rally Championship in Victoria.

The accident was reminiscent of the rally crash which killed Australian motorsport legend Peter Brock in 2006.

The difference, was in last month’s crash Mr Denyer and navigator Dale Moscatt walked away from the crash.

The duo were taken to hospital in Melbourne – Mr Denyer with a broken sacrum (triangular bone at the base of the spine) and finger, while Mr Moscatt smashed a knee and broke his L4 vertebrae.

“I remember all of it, but I closed my eyes at the end,” Mr Denyer said. “We hit a big tree root which launched the car into the tree.

“It’s about as close to a fatality as you can get.”

Mr Denyer credits the rear-engine model Lotus he was driving, and its roll cage, with saving their lives as they slammed into the tree at 160km/h.

“All of that was able to crash and absorb and take a lot of the G-forces,” he said of the car’s front end.

He has, however, been dizzy ever since the crash.

“There was a sudden stop and they say it’s rattled my brain around a bit,” Mr Denyer said.

His injuries have ruled him out of defending his 2016 win in the Australian GT Championship series and also taking part in this weekend’s Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour at Mount Panorama.

He remains positive, however, and is now back at his home in Bathurst.

“I’m using crutches, but I’m up and about,” Mr Denyer said.

He said memories of his September, 2008 crash while driving a 7.5 tonne monster truck at Dapto, near Wollongong are still fresh in his mind. This accident left him with a vertebral compression fracture after nosediving the truck into the ground.

It left him bedridden for eight weeks and then wearing a back brace for months. 

When considering his future in the sport, Mr Denyer said his wife Cheryl and their two young daughters Scout and Sailor were a very important factor.

“I think they’re going to want me to make that decision, but motorsport’s been a big part of my life,” he said.

“I’ve only been in hospital twice, so I’ve had a pretty good run. I’ve got to keep it in perspective.”

When asked if he would get behind the wheel of a rally car again, that answer was simple: “It’s an exciting sport, but I might just stick with circuit racing.”

The cause of last month’s rally crash remains under investigation.