Morris unhurt after big crash.

Sirromet Wines Holden Commodore driver Paul Morris escaped injury when his V8 Supercar slammed into a trackside barrier at 190-km/h and flipped upside down at the Pukekohe circuit in New Zealand on Sunday.

The accident happened after the VZ Commodore driven by the 39-year-old from the Gold Coast made contact with Brad Jones' BOC Ford Falcon on lap six of the third and final 43-lap race in round three of the V8 Supercar Championship.

Morris was immediately examined by medial staff at the track and cleared of injury: "I got in front of Brad coming into the left-hander and passed him on the outside. I gave him heaps of room. Then I was hit in the rear and flipped upside down," Morris explained. "It wasn't real flash hanging upside down with the car running along on its roof.

"The impact with the wall didn't seem that big. I was waiting for a big crunch, but it never came. Once everything stopped I knew I was okay. The main problem from this is fixing the car for Winton. We won't know the whole situation until we get the car back to the workshop and check things out in more detail.

"For instance, the roll cage looks okay, but we need to put it on the chassis jig and measure everything. We also don't know if there is any internal damage to the engine."

The PMM team now faces a race against time to repair the Commodore before the fourth round of the championship at Winton in Victoria from May 18-20. All body panels on the car, plus front and rear suspension, and the differential were destroyed in the crash, and the chassis rail was partially bent.

Morris' car will be transported from Auckland in a Boeing 747 on Tuesday evening and is expected to arrive in Brisbane on the morning of ANZAC Day. The Commodore will then be taken to Morris' team headquarters at the Holden Performance Driving Centre on the Gold Coast.

Initial cost estimates for damage are a minimum $100,000. The figure could be doubled if further assessments reveal the engine and gearbox are damaged beyond repair.

The accident completed a disappointing round for Morris. He was forced to withdraw from the previous two races because of rising water temperatures. The engine in his Holden was replaced between races two and three.

New Zealand's Fabian Coulthard, driving a VZ Sirromet Wines Commodore, meanwhile finished 20th and 19th in Sunday's two races. The 24-year-old was 23rd in Saturday's race. Coulthard scored no championship points at Pukekohe, but has now finished his past seven starts in his first fulltime year of racing in the series.

"My car was at its best after the pit-stop in the last race today. We had good tyres and I was able to put some quick and consistent laps together. I wasn't happy with my start in the first race today. That's something to wok on the next time we go testing. Importantly, I'm finishing races and getting more experience in these cars," he summed-up.