Toyota 86 Series at Bathurst abandoned after horrific crash as Clay Richards hospitalised in stable condition

Race 1 of the Toyota 86 Series at Bathurst has been abandoned after a horrific crash at Turn 1, less than a minute into the race, that resulted in Clay Richards being hospitalised.

Brock Stinson lost control of his Stinson Family Racing Toyota shortly after Hell Corner, pinballing into car 33 to his left and then 19 to his right, which flew up onto two wheels.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Multi-car crash rocks Toyota 86 Series.

Car 19 regained its equilibrium and, remarkably, made it through the melee relatively unscathed as chaos unfolded behind it.

Stinson spun 270 degrees prone in the middle of the track, obstructing the path of almost half the field.

Several cars came into contact and damage spilled out everywhere, but only Stinson and Richards were left idle on the track when the field eventually passed.

“Heavy contact in the background and a car up on two wheels, and a spin in front of the field! And it continues,” Chad Neylon said on commentary for Channel 7.

“Hayden Hume, hefty contact, taken out of this one. Third in the championship and was absolutely smashed in the side of that car.

“We’ll instantly jump to a safety car here. Harrison Blanchard in this one as well.

“The big lanky frame of Brock has climbed out of his racecar and look at the damage on that one.”

Stinson walked out of his car unharmed, but Richards took several minutes to emerge as an ambulance was rushed to his aid.

Richards, the son of five-time Bathurst champion Steven and grandson of seven-time champ Jim, was transferred to Orange Hospital nearby where he is in a stable condition, as confirmed by Neylon about an hour after the crash.

“There was some concern for Clay Richards, driver of car No.7, who had that nasty impact in what was a multi-car crash on Mountain Straight,” he said.

“I can update our fans that Clay is thankfully conscious and communicating with the Team Medical Australia crew and has since been transported by road to Orange Hospital where he’s currently in a stable condition and is there for observation at the moment.”

The race was immediately put under safety car conditions before later being red-flagged.

But cars were only pitted for a matter of minutes when the race was officially declared.

“That is not something you see every day, especially in this category,” said injured driver Alice Buckley, who is appearing as a guest commentator for Channel 7.

“You’ve seen it in Supercars and other categories

“There is a tendency of incidents to happen on the straight after Turn 1, never in an 86 I’ve seen anything like that.”

Neylon added: “We’ve got 34 cars, not a lot of room, and unfortunately this can happen.

“It was just pinball, wasn’t it?”

Co-commentator Andrew Jones was stunned at the damage it caused across so many cars.

“Parker particularly got a really good start and then didn’t go anywhere,” he said.

“The front two got away relatively evenly, but in the game of chicken on the run up to Turn 1 Lincoln Taylor was the one that jumped on the brake pedal a little bit later than Cooper Barnes.

“The amount of glass that it shattered out of the rear of the car — lucky to not end up with a car on the roof here.

“Stinson goes around, does about 180, but lands broadside to the rest of the field and it was that point where all of that rear glass just explodes out of the car — it’s the worst feeling in the world when you’re sat in the middle of the pack and you know there’s more people to come.”