Driver Chaz Mostert lost control of his car after tapping a wall during qualifying for the Bathurst 1000, hitting a marshal stand and ripping open the side of his car. Mostert was airlifted to a local hospital with a fractured left femur and fractured left wrist. Five marshals were injured in the crash. [Updated]
According to V8 Supercars, Mostert was on his first lap of the forty-minute qualifying session when he tapped the wall inside turn 16, crashed into the wall at turn 17, and then hopped the wall and slid for some time towards turn 18 (“Forest Elbow”).
Mostert was conscious as he was taken away from the scene in an ambulance to the on-site medical center. Prodrive team boss Tim Edwards told Motorsport.com that it looks as if Mostert’s upper leg and wrist were broken. [See update below.]
“They’re looking to airlift him to Orange at the moment. He’s in great hands with Dr. Carl [Le],” Edwards told Motorsport.com. “Pretty disappointing, but broken bones will heal.”
Dr. Le serves as V8 Supercars’ permanent medical delegate.
Fox Motorsport reports that one marshal from the stand that was hit by Mostert’s car also sustained a knee injury in the crash, however, the status of the other two marshals is unknown.
After this crash, V8 Supercars suspended all on-track activities for the day. Mostert won last year’s Bathurst 1000 sharing a car with Paul Morris.
UPDATE [2:18 a.m.]: V8 Supercars has confirmed that five marshals were injured in the crash. Four sustained minor injuries, and one was taken to the hospital in stable condition. Furthermore, Mostert fractured his left femur and left wrist in the incident.
UPDATE [2:33 a.m.]: Fox Motorsport reports that none of the marshals sustained head injuries in the crash.
Mostert’s team, Prodrive Racing Australia, also released a statement on the driver’s condition. “He is receiving pain relief but is otherwise okay,” reads the team statement. “He did not lose consciousness and has been talking to family and team-mates in the circuit medical centre.”
UPDATE [11:20 a.m.]: Motorsport.com confirms that none of the injuries sustained by the marshals were life-threatening. The marshal who was transported via road to the Bathurst hospital sustained chest injuries in the crash.
UPDATE [2:09 p.m.]: V8 Supercars reports that Mostert is in good spirits this afternoon.
“Thank God we signed that contract a couple of months ago!” said Mostert to Edwards in the Mount Panorama medical center, as quoted by V8 Supercars.
Edwards gave this update on Mostert’s condition and spirits to V8 Supercars:
He is in good spirits, but I think there is a bit of green stick (pain killing drugs) in that.
He is thinking of the team and very apologetic to the boys who put in all the hard work to get him out on the track.
But it was good he was able to joke and I am happy to let everyone know about it.
Qualifying has been rescheduled for 12:30 p.m. local time (AEDT) tomorrow (9:30 p.m. EDT) and will consist of a thirty minute session ahead of the Armor All Top 10 Shootout at 5:10 p.m. AEDT (2:10 a.m. EDT). Full details can be found here.
V8 Supercars also reports that the hospitalized marshal has been cleared of neck, chest and brain injuries.
A wall for well-wishes has been started behind one of the grandstands at the track:
Mostert is undergoing surgery on his left femur today, per V8 Supercars’ latest report.
Correction: The V8 Supercars report of the accident got the name of the turn Mostert was approaching at the time of the crash wrong. This has been corrected above. [H/T More fun than driving a fast car slow!]
Photo credit: V8 Supercars
Contact the author at stef.schrader@jalopnik.com.