Australian Supercar Racer Courtney Injured in Freak Accident, Championship Chase Probably Over

Aaron Cole
by Aaron Cole

V8 Supercar racer James Courtney was injured when an Australian Navy helicopter fly-over dislodged debris near pitlane, which struck and injured the racer, media in Australia is reporting.

Courtney was transported to a local hospital with relatively minor injuries, but is expected to remain there for several days, effectively ending his race weekend. Courtney is currently fifth in the championship standings with five races to follow this weekend’s Sydney Motorsports Park SuperSprint. Courtney’s missed weekend effectively ends his championship run.

According to reports, Courtney was struck with debris when the helicopter performed a low flyover before the event. Courtney reported shortness of breath and minor injuries before his pit crew requested a doctor examine him.

“James puts on a brave face. We have to force him to do the right thing and send him to hospital. I know him better than most people and I could see he was in a lot of pain,” Holden Racing Team chief Adrian Burgess told News.com in Australia.

Other racing teams said the helicopter was flying exceptionally low.

“Madness, just madness,” Triple Eight Racing chief Roland Dane said. “The whole place was shaking like an earthquake. We had all our stuff blowing out of the back of the garage. One bloke in a wheelchair was very lucky he wasn’t hit.”

The Royal Australian Navy said it would investigate the incident.

Courtney was diagnosed with broken ribs and a pneumothorax, which is a pocket of air trapped in the lungs that can partially or completely collapse a lung.


Aaron Cole
Aaron Cole

More by Aaron Cole

Comments
Join the conversation
 2 comments
  • Claytori Claytori on Aug 21, 2015

    I have had both a pneumothorax and broken ribs, but not at the same time. I don't think he will be doing much racing for a while. The cure for the former is to stick a scalpel between your ribs to put in a tube to suck out the air bubble (while you watch). This was extremely painful. I was banned from flying for a year after this. The ribs you just have to wait until they heal, about 4 months.

  • Jacob Jacob on Aug 22, 2015

    I hope James Courtney recovers. It did look already that Winterbottom was going to run away with the championship. The only real competition is Mostert. Speaking of why I am curious what explains Ford Pepsi Max resurgence this year. They were beaten for many years by the 888 Holden cars, but now 888 Holdens are playing a catch-up, and Pepsi Max cars look dominant every weekend.

Next