Racing Wrecks

The Australian Supercar Bathurst 1000 has grown a reputation for being an all-out slugfest between two camps: those loyal to the Holden banner and those who eat, sleep and breathe Ford blue. While the racers are knocking fenders on track, spectators are typically knocking back beers by the truckload and locking horns to defend their respective brands. In all, the event makes Daytona look like a kiddie carnival ride. This past weekend’s Bathurst got off on a scary foot with a spectacular single-car accident in the first lap.

Judging from this YouTube video, it looks like Fabien Coulthard, who started in the 21st position on the grid, blew the left rear tire on his Holden Commodore. The resulting loss of control sent the driver off track, and his touring car hit a sand trap sideways at considerable speed. The result was the kind of pirouetting explosion of sheetmetal that we haven’t seen for a good while. Thankfully, Coulthard was able to hop out of the remains of his racer and give the crowd a hearty thumbs-up.

Courtesy of AutoBlog