Four Hour mark: Radisich smash impedes race.

By Matthew Agius

A safety car period lasting over half an hour has taken a severe chunk of racing out of the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 as the Great Race enters the afternoon stage of competition.

The safety car was brought out only several laps after the restart for the Safety Car period to recover David Brabham. Paul Radisich brought out the sixth safety car of the day when he was boxed out wide from the Caltex Chase exit by a defensive Nathan Pretty in the #50 Supercheap Auto Racing Commodore - sending the #021 Team Kiwi Racing Commodore into the tyre wall in yet another sickening V8 Supercar shunt this weekend.

The safety car period restricted racing for the fourth hour of the race, however after the restart, former race leader Greg Murphy was forced off track and dropped to fifth, whilst Rick Kelly leads the race from Steven Richards, Craig Lowndes and Russell Ingall.

Paul Radisich has been deemed by trackside medical officers to be in a serious but stable condition, and will be airlifted to a Sydney hospital for precautionary checks.

The race has currently just cleared the halfway mark of competition.

Lap by lap action analysis

Lap 72Less that five seconds separates the top five driversLap 73Car #021 Paul Radisich spears into the tyre walls on the exit of Caltex Chase on the approach to pit entry; SAFETY CARLap 74Car #15 Rick Kelly passes Car #51 Greg Murphy down Mountain straight;SCRoof of Car #021 needs to be cut open to rescue Paul Radisich from inside; SAFETY CAR lasts for over half an hourLap 85RESTART SIX; Car #15 Rick Kelly leads from Car #51 Greg Murphy, Car #7 Steven Richards, Car #888 Craig Lowndes, Car #4 Glenn Seton; Car #1 Russell Ingall passes #4 Glenn Seton at CAT Corner.Lap 86Car #50 Nathan Pretty given Drive through penalty for infringement on Car #021 Paul Radisich; Car #7 Steven Richards passes Car #51 Greg Murphy at Caltex Chase, Car #51 off - Car #888 Craig Lowndes and Car #1 Russell Ingall also pass Murphy.Lap 88 Car #888 Craig Lowndes passes Car #7 Steven Richards at CAT Corner.

One safety cars; Six in totalTen cars out in total