In the Supercars qualifying session, 2023 Supercars champion Brodie Kostecki was part of a dramatic crash. The tragic moments sent four front-line photographers to the hospital. In the incident, Kostecki would lose control of his Mustang after clipping a tyre bundle, crashing at over 170kph into the tyre wall. Emergency services rushed to the scene to help those who were hurt.
Kostecki was chasing the speed of his car all session. Previously, he destroyed the driver’s front quarter panel. Even with him trying consistently, he kept pinging the tyre stack at Turn 1 which resulted in the huge accident. Losing control, Kostecki’s car struck the wall head-on, cutting the car in half from the impact.
The blast radius of Kostecki’s crash was felt by those around, as four photojournalists stationed outside the fence sustained serious injuries. Fortunately, they were each reported to be otherwise awake and conversing with first responders but needed additional evaluation for their documented injuries. According to reports from Supercars, two media photographers broke their ankles, having jumped and misplaced their foot. A third photographer injured his elbow, a fourth was hit in the head.
Kostecki fortunately survived the incident without injury. He said he was concerned about the permanent damage this crash will do to his vehicle and to his life.
“I’m physically good. I obviously just clipped the tyre bundle, there was a bit of damage and it just went under the front wheel and went straight in head-first,” – Brodie Kostecki
Despite Kostecki’s physical wellbeing, he has been ruled out of participating in Saturday’s race due to the damage inflicted on his vehicle in this qualifying session. The Dick Johnson Racing crew left no stone unturned in their efforts to repair his car following the crash. Regrettably, their attempts fell short of averting the tragic crash.
“The boys and girls have a lot of work to do now, but it’s not looking so good,” – Brodie Kostecki
Kostecki’s bad luck started early when his qualifying session was filled with hardships as he struggled to get a handle on his Mustang. Following the incident, calls to improve safety measures for racing events in general, and specifically for individuals positioned trackside, have surged.
