Top 10 Biggest Australian V8 Supercar Crashes

Metal twists fast. Glass explodes faster. One second you are watching a pack of V8 Supercars thunder into a corner in tight formation, and the next you are staring at flying panels, tire smoke, and a commentator trying not to yell over pure chaos. That is part of the pull of this category of racing. The speeds are huge, the cars are heavy, and the margin for error is about as generous as a brick wall.

There is also something strangely unforgettable about the way these moments freeze a race in place. The crowd goes from roaring to gasping. The drivers become very human very quickly. And you, sitting there watching it unfold, get a blunt reminder that Australian touring car racing has never been neat, gentle, or interested in protecting anyone from a little mayhem. When it goes wrong, it goes wrong loud.

1. Craig Lowndes 1999 Calder Park

   Contact with another driver launched the Holden Commodore of Craig Lowndes high into the air. It rolled violently several times. Rescue crews worked swiftly to extract the driver from the upside down vehicle before he was treated for a torn knee ligament and a bruised elbow.

   Possibly the most frightening crash I have ever seen, but it was awesome how so many people abandoned the race to help him out.

   Rolled over the barrier seven times before coming to a stop.

2. Fabian Coulthard 2010 Bathurst 1000

   A blown left rear tire sent Fabian Coulthard flying off the track during the opening lap. He hit the sand trap at the Chase. This launched his car into a rapid sequence of airborne barrel rolls before the completely destroyed vehicle landed right side up amidst a massive field of debris.

   This is way bigger than Lowndes at Calder. Sure, that incident was big, but it's overrated. This one was in the biggest race of the year and at a much higher speed, and there was much more damage.

   First lap of the Great Race, and a tyre blowout at almost 300 km/h for Coulthard coming into the Chase ended up with him rolling six times through the Chase before coming to a stop.

   This crash was the most insane crash I've seen while watching Supercars.

3. Karl Reindler & Steve Owen Fireball 2011 Perth

   Karl Reindler stalled his Commodore on the grid as the race commenced. Steve Owen accelerated from the rear of the pack. He slammed into the stationary car at nearly 150 kilometers per hour, triggering an enormous fireball that completely engulfed both vehicles.

   Reindler stalled on the start line and gets rammed up the rear by Steve Owen at almost 200 km/h. Reindler suffers burns to his hands and face.

4. Mark Larkham & Paul Morris Fireball 2000 Oran Park

   Paul Morris failed to launch his car off the line. Accelerating from further back in the pack, Mark Larkham collided directly with the stationary vehicle. A sudden fuel fire immediately erupted on the main straight and completely consumed both race cars.

   Larry Perkins stalls on the grid and is then hit by Paul Morris, who is in turn hit by Mark Larkham at almost 200 km/h.

5. Jason Bargwanna 2002 Phillip Island

   Greg Murphy squeezed Jason Bargwanna off the track just moments after the race started. The Holden Commodore violently hit the protective tire wall. This impact caused the vehicle to flip multiple times before coming to rest in the middle of the circuit.

   Greg Murphy and Bargs tangle on the run down to the first corner, resulting in Bargs violently hitting the tyre wall and rolling down the straight.

   Poor old Bargs. Has he ever had any luck in V8s? I don't think so!

6. Paul Dumbrell & Craig Baird 2005 New Zealand

   Paul Dumbrell and Craig Baird collided at over 200 kilometers per hour on the main straight at Pukekohe Park Raceway. Both cars veered uncontrollably into the concrete track barriers. The massive impacts destroyed both vehicles and forced a lengthy red flag stoppage to repair the damaged facilities.

   Dumbrell and Baird tangle in wet conditions, leading to Baird hitting the wall backwards so violently that it rips the whole rear off the car, takes down a light pole, and destroys the wall. Dumbrell ends up with massive front and rear damage as well, and Cameron McConville also gets tangled up as an innocent bystander.

7. Turn 8 Pileup 2004 Clipsal 500

   A massive chain reaction collision unfolded at the Turn 8 sweeper during the second race of the weekend. Several competitors including Cameron McConville and Mark Winterbottom were immediately eliminated. Track crews required a significant amount of time to clear the heavily damaged cars and remove scattered debris from the racing surface.

   Paul Dumbrell and Cameron McConville crash at the infamous Turn 8 at around 275 km/h. McConville is then T-boned by two cars, and Mark Winterbottom hits the wall head-on trying to avoid the incident.

8. Jason Richards 2005 Queensland Raceway

   A touch from Paul Morris sent Jason Richards sliding sideways across an exit kerb. The car tripped and launched into a violent series of airborne flips that left the driver with only minor injuries despite the chassis being almost entirely destroyed.

   Richards is tapped into the infield and violently rolls seven times through the air before coming to a stop.

9. Rain Pileup 2010 Sydney Telstra 500

   A sudden heavy rain shower soaked the Sydney Olympic Park street circuit during the Saturday race. The three race leaders simultaneously aquaplaned off the track. They crashed directly into the concrete wall at turn five and forced officials to immediately suspend the race while recovery teams cleared the destroyed vehicles.

   The top three in the race and the championship all crash on slick tyres on a wet circuit. They aren't alone, as almost half the field, about 15 cars, all crash out as well.

   This was huge when it happened, considering the implications for the championship. It still sends me chills to this day.

   "HE'S IN THE FENCE! THEY'RE BOTH IN THE FENCE! THEY'RE ALL IN THE FENCE!"

10. David Besnard 2011 Bathurst 1000

    David Besnard lost control of his Ford Falcon on the approach to Griffins Bend. He impacted the barrier. The collision ruptured the fuel cell and immediately ignited a large fire at the rear of the vehicle before track marshals quickly extinguished the flames so the uninjured driver could safely exit.

    Besnard backs the car into the Griffins Bend tyre wall at almost 250 km/h. He rips the whole rear end off the car and causes a massive fireball.

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Chaz Mostert 2015 Bathurst 1000

    Chaz Mostert clipped the inside wall on the descent toward Forrest's Elbow during a Friday qualifying session. The impact broke his steering and sent his Ford Falcon ricocheting across the track into a concrete barrier and a marshals' post. The crash completely destroyed the car, injured multiple track workers, and left the driver with a fractured leg and wrist.

    It was big mate super big! I am weird

12. ?

    Jason Bright Roll 2014 Clipsal 500

The Contenders

13. Alexandre Premat & James Courtney 2013 Phillip Island

    Alexandre Premat suffered a sudden tire failure on the approach to Turn Four. His unsteerable vehicle slid across the grass. It violently T-boned the side of James Courtney's car, destroying both vehicles and leaving Courtney with a fractured tibia along with a torn quad muscle.

    The crash that caused Courtney to miss the last four races of the year due to injury. Premat, stick to DTM.

14. Paul Radisich 2006 Bathurst 1000

    An unsuccessful overtaking attempt caused Paul Radisich to leave the track at The Chase. The vehicle ploughed through the sand trap. It slammed into the tire barrier at approximately 200 kilometers per hour and required rescue crews to spend about 20 minutes carefully extracting the driver after he suffered a fractured sternum and a broken ankle.

    A horrible crash that resulted in Paul breaking his ankle and two ribs, and rupturing his spleen. This crash effectively ended Paul's career as a full-time racer.

15. Start Crash 2012 Gold Coast 600

    A multi-car squeeze on the main straight immediately following the green flag caused Ricky Taylor to hit the pit lane wall. The resulting impact launched his Garry Rogers Motorsport Commodore into the air. It entered a series of barrel rolls down the track and eventually landed on its roof while the driver escaped the wreckage without serious injury.

    Hectic! Don't get international drivers behind the wheel of a V8 Supercar!

16. Scott Pye 2013 Tasmania

    Scott Pye experienced a sudden loss of braking capabilities at the end of the long back straight at Symmons Plains Raceway. His Holden Commodore sailed past the hairpin turn. It slammed head-on into the tire barrier and caused significant vehicle damage that resulted in a brief hospital visit for the driver.

17. Jamie Whincup 2008 Hamilton

    Todd Kelly ran wide during a qualifying session. He clipped Jamie Whincup while attempting to rejoin the racing line. The resulting contact sent Whincup's Ford Falcon directly into the concrete barriers, causing major structural damage that forced the team to withdraw the extensively damaged car from the entire race weekend.

18. Paul Weel & Chris Pither 2008 Bathurst 1000

    Paul Weel lost control of his Holden Commodore and became stationary across the track during a practice session. Chris Pither came around a blind corner in his Ford Falcon and collided violently with the driver's side of the stranded vehicle. The massive T-bone impact split Weel's car open and resulted in both drivers being transported to the hospital.

19. Jason Richards Roll 2003 New Zealand

    Jason Richards made high-speed contact with Paul Weel while navigating the Pukekohe circuit in his Team Dynamik Holden Commodore. The car dug into the grass runoff area and launched into a violent series of mid-air barrel rolls. It eventually came to rest right-side up with heavy structural damage, though the driver escaped without serious injury.

20. Marcos Ambrose & Greg Murphy 2005 Bathurst 1000

    Marcos Ambrose and Greg Murphy made contact while battling for position on the approach to the narrow Cutting corner. The collision sent Ambrose spinning into the concrete wall and effectively blocked the entire width of the racetrack. Multiple trailing cars piled into the wreckage to create a massive traffic jam while the two lead drivers exited their vehicles to argue.

21. Paul Radisich 2008 Bathurst 1000

    Paul Radisich suffered an open throttle in his Holden Commodore during a practice session at Mount Panorama. The car speared straight off the track at McPhillamy Park and slammed heavily into the protective tire barrier. Rescue crews spent significant time extracting the driver, who suffered severe career-ending foot and ankle injuries in the collision.

22. Simon Wills 2005 Sandown 500

    Simon Wills experienced a sudden brake failure in his Team Dynamik Commodore during the Sunday morning warm-up session. His car skidded off the track backwards, struck the armco barrier at high speed, and bounced over the fence. The vehicle proceeded to roll along the top of the safety barriers before coming to a rest completely destroyed.

23. Craig Lowndes Tyre Incident 2005 Bathurst 1000

    Craig Lowndes was navigating his Triple Eight Falcon up the mountain when an errant wheel bounced across the track. The heavy tire had detached from a crashed car ahead and smashed directly into the center of Lowndes' windshield. He successfully returned to the pits where the team was forced to punch out the shattered glass and continue the race exposed to freezing winds.

24. Mark Skaife & Jack Perkins Start Crash 2006 Bathurst 1000

    Mark Skaife suffered a driveline failure just as the green light appeared for the start of the Great Race. His Holden Racing Team Commodore remained nearly stationary on the grid as the rest of the field accelerated around him. Jack Perkins was unable to see the stranded vehicle in time and slammed heavily into the rear of Skaife's car.

25. Will Davison & Michael Caruso 2010 Sandown

    Michael Caruso tagged the back of Will Davison's Toll Holden Racing Team Commodore during Sunday's race. The high-speed impact sent both vehicles spinning wildly off the track and into the heavy tire barriers. Davison's car was violently launched into the air before landing back down amidst a shower of debris.

26. Jonathon Webb & Greg Murphy 2012 Clipsal 500

    Jonathon Webb slowed his car significantly on the approach to the final corner to create a gap for a qualifying lap. Greg Murphy rounded the blind corner at full race speed and plowed directly into the back of Webb's slow-moving vehicle. The heavy rear-end collision severely damaged both cars and forced Murphy to later undergo back surgery.

27. Scott Pye 2013 Tasmania

    Scott Pye suffered a complete brake failure in his Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Commodore at the end of the long back straight. He was unable to slow the car and careened across the grass runoff area at the Symmons Plains hairpin. The vehicle sustained massive front-end damage after making a heavy head-on impact with the concrete retaining wall.

    You're supposed to drive, not fly, Pye. I'm surprised that you are driving in 2014.