Kai Allen suffered a dangerous helmet malfunction in Darwin. Image: supplied
The Grove Racing driver told Fox Sports that his helmet’s fan system failed during the build-up to the Darwin final.
He quickly turned off the system once he realized he was breathing carbon dioxide and finished sixth in the race.
However, it was after the race that symptoms began to appear that Supercars medical delegate Dr Carl Le put Allen on track oxygen.
Allen has since undergone further treatment in a pressure chamber in preparation for the Townsville 500.
“On Sunday (in Darwin) I had a little problem with the dry ice system,” Allen explained.
“The boys are now investigating, but something went wrong: I believe some carbon dioxide from the dry ice got into the air of my helmet.
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“I was a little confused at first because the smell was a little different than what it usually smells like when you first turn it on.
“And then within two seconds I was really having trouble breathing and I felt like I was suffocating and I was really trying to figure out what was going on.
“I don’t know why, I just instinctively pulled the helmet off with some air and that made it feel a little better.
“When it happened it was very scary, but as soon as I got in the car and started the race, I forgot about it, as always happens.
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