Four Photographers Narrowly Avoid Disaster in Violent Motorsports Crash
Four photographers were taken to the hospital but seemingly avoided disaster following a violent crash during the Gold Coast 500 Supercars race in Australia over the weekend.
The incident was a motorsports photographer’s worst nightmare, as racer Brodie Kostecki’s red and white Shell V-Power racer careened straight into a barrier after his damaged car failed to navigate a series of high-speed corners (turns one through three) during a qualifying session. The four injured photographers were positioned just behind the wall, which included a significant tire barrier in front of the concrete, as is standard practice at high-speed racetracks.
When Kostecki’s car hit the wall at extreme speed, the group of photographers incurred varying injuries. All four were checked by medical personnel on the scene and then transported to a local hospital for further investigation and observation.
Supercars Championship, an FIA-sanctioned motorsports championship with events in Australia and New Zealand, said that all four photographers were taken to the hospital in stable condition, 7 News in Australia reports.
“Two photographers sustained ankle injuries, one suffered an elbow injury, and a fourth received a head injury,” Supercars said in a statement shared with the press. “All are in a stable condition.”
9 News Australia reports that the head injury involved lacerations, which makes sense given the debris that flew up from the wall following the crash.
The driver, Kostecki, was unharmed and ultimately finished 14th in the Gold Coast 500.
Discussing the crash later in the day, Kostecki said he was fine, but hoped that “the people behind the barrier are okay.”
“There was some news that there was some inured people there,” the racer continued. Fortunately, all four photographers are ultimately okay, albeit all recovering from varying injuries.
As a result of the incident, which could have been catastrophic for all involved, race organizers changed photographer positions for the rest of the Gold Coast 500 weekend, including no longer permitting photographers to work from turn one until after turn three.
“Motorsport Australia has implemented changes to photographer access in that area for the remainder of the event,” the statement continued. Supercars added that it was grateful for the volunteers, officials, and medical crews who acted swiftly to check on all involved.
Image credits: Featured image from footage shared by Supercars
