JCS RACE WRAP – PHILLIP ISLAND

Thanks to all the V8 Supercar fans who have sent me messages of support on social media and elsewhere since my big crash at Phillip Island on Saturday. This is something my family and I appreciate very much. I’ve had an MRI scan this week which showed I have a fractured tibia and a tear in the quad muscle in my right leg. Unfortunately I will be on crutches for a few weeks and will miss the final championship round in Sydney (December 6-8). Nick Percat will drive for the Holden Racing Team at Homebush. It’s disappointing to miss Sydney, but in reality the outcome of this crash could have been much worse because it was one of the biggest shunts of my career. When Alex Premat’s Commodore smashed into the driver’s door of my car, the impact bent and pushed everything inwards toward me. My right leg was squashed in by the tangled metal. Once I was pulled out of the car my leg was sore and I was limping. A crucial reason why I was able to avoid more serious injuries is the improved safety features of the ‘Car of the Future’ vehicles we are racing this year. The driver’s seat in my HRT Commodore, and in all the 2013-spec cars, is closer to the middle of the cockpit compared to our previous machines. If that accident had happened 12 months ago I would have been seated closer to the door and my injuries could have been far greater. Earlier this year Scott Pye walked away unscathed from a big crash at Symmons Plains in Tasmania, so it’s great to see the various safety improvements to the new cars are working. My crash at Phillip Island happened after Alex went off the track through a gravel trap on lap 11 of the first of the three races. His car then slid across the grass and back onto the track and hit my HRT Commodore as I was driving past. I didn’t see anything. There was no warning. After our cars stopped, Alex pulled me out of my car through the passenger door. When we were in the medical vehicle he said a tyre went down on his car and that’s why he initially went off the track. It was one of those racing accidents that unfortunately happen from time to time. As a driver, you have to accept it as part of what we do. I had an examination in the Medical Centre after the crash, and travelled home to the Gold Coast on Saturday night. I was sore, but it wasn’t until I had the MRI scan that I found out what my injuries were. I scored no championship points at Phillip Island, as was the case in the previous two rounds at Bathurst and the Gold Coast, but remain in ninth in the series. My team-mate Garth Tander provided some good news for HRT in the 13th and penultimate championship round by winning the first race. We had a month-long break between the Gold Coast and Phillip Island rounds. During the break I travelled to Newcastle and helped McDonald Jones Homes raise $100,000 for Maitland Hospital, and also visited Adelaide for the launch of the 2014 Clipsal 500. Keith Urban will perform at next year’s Clipsal 500, and before the launch I was involved in filming a video in the HRT workshop. I had to put on a cowboy hat and ‘mime’ one of Keith’s country tunes. For those who want to know what I’m doing between races, and at our events, you can follow me on Twitter at: twitter.com/jcourtney 1 Autograph JC PHILLIP ISLAND RESULTS – JAMES COURTNEY ROUND 13, V8 Supercar Championship, (November 22-24) Qualifying – Race 1:15th Race 1 Result (28 laps): did not finish Qualifying – Race 2: did not start Race 2 Result (23 laps): did not start Qualifying – Race 3: did not start Race 3 Result (23 laps): did not start CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after round 13): Jamie Whincup (Holden) 2,815; Craig Lowndes (Holden) 2,795; Mark Winterbottom (Ford) 2,691; Will Davison (Ford) 2,592; Fabian Coulthard (Holden) 2,393; Garth Tander (Holden) 2,259; Shane Van Gisbergen (Holden) 2,254; Jason Bright (Holden) 2,123; James Courtney (Holden) 1,909; Scott McLaughlin (Holden) 1,866