But within seconds, the entire buggy was engulfed in flames and the men were killed.
The Coroners Court of Victoria is investigating whether it will hold an inquest into the deaths off-road racers Gerald "Gerry" Hoekstra, 46, and Ede Taric, 50.
Mr Taric agreed to fill in as navigator for his mate at the 2022 Rainbow Desert Enduro, which Mr Hoekstra said would be his last off-road race after an earlier injury scare.
It was the first time the men, who became friends after meeting in a Facebook group, had raced together after trips out to private property at Bonnie Doon.
On day two of the race, on September 4 at Rainbow in the Victoria's northwest, the buggy they were in failed to navigate an S-bend about 10km from the starting line.
Mr Hoekstra's Can-Am buggy hit a tree and came to a rest on the navigator's side.
The force of the crash meant a plastic fuel cap came off and lodged in the mud, letting fuel pour unimpeded from a tube.
"Within a matter of seconds, the buggy was engulfed in flames and Gerry and Ede still inside," Leading Senior Constable Kelly Ramsey told a coroner on Friday.
A spectator immediately ran towards the car to try to help but he was forced back by the fire's intensity.
About 12 seconds after the crash, a racer arrived and emptied a 1kg fire extinguisher onto the buggy, "but according to him, it basically did nothing", Sen Const Ramsey said.
A spectator saw someone trying to get out of the buggy, and another racer who arrived shortly after saw one of the men trying to push himself out.
That racer and her teammate emptied their fire extinguishers on the buggy, with six fire extinguishers unloaded onto it in total with no effect, Sen Const Ramsey said.
Fire crews soon put out the blaze but paramedics declared Mr Taric and Mr Hoekstra dead at the scene.
Mr Hoekstra left behind his wife and six children, while Mr Taric was survived by his partner and daughter.
Coroner Ingrid Giles, who is investigating the men's deaths, said she was yet to determine whether an inquest was necessary.
Sen Const Ramsey urged her to consider whether more training was required for racers and responders, and whether tools and safety measures were suitable.
Regulations have already changed since the double fatality, which was an event sanctioned by Motorsport Australia, the court was told.
The event had safety plans in place ahead of the off-road race.
Ms Giles said she would determine whether an inquest was required at a later date.
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