DEFENDING Bathurst 1000 champion Chaz Mostert has broken his left leg and wrist in a shocking crash four minutes into Friday’s qualifying session at Mount Panorama.

Mostert’s car clattered between walls on the run down the mountain from The Dipper and Forrest’s Elbow, damaging a track marshal’s hut and leaving the 23-year-old stranded in his ruined car on the track.

VIDEO: BATHURST CHAMP INJURED IN HORRIFYING CRASH

MARSHALS: FIVE TRACKSIDE OFFICIALS INJURED

HORROR: SOCIAL MEDIA REACTION TO CRASH

While conscious and talking, the 23-year-old was taken away from the scene in an ambulance before being air-lifted to hospital in Orange.

Four individuals stationed in the track marshals’ hut sustained minor injuries while one was driven to Bathurst Hospital in a stable condition. No head injuries were sustained by anyone involved in the incident.

Prodrive Racing Australia team principal Tim Edwards confirmed his star young driver would be taking no further part in the weekend’s events.

“It looks like he’s broken his upper leg and his wrist as well. They’re just looking to airlift him to Orange at the moment,” Edwards said.

“Dr Carl (Le, V8’s medical delegate) is with him and Annie and Arthur. He’s in great hands with Dr Carl, obviously. It’s pretty disappointing, but broken bones will heal.

“Dr Carl looks after the drivers wheteher they’ve got a sore head or a stubbed toe. You don’t like to call on him for these more serrious ones but it is great that he comes to all our rounds and looks after us all.”

V8 Supercars Stewards ruled that no further track action was to take place after the incident on Friday, with Mostert’s stranded car requiring delicate removal from the track. Repair work was also required to track marhshals’ stand before racing could recommence.

Red Bull Racing Australia team boss Roland Dane sympathised with his rival outfit.

“We certainly feel for the guys next door, any one of us could be in that position,” Dane said.

“First and foremost we hope Chaz is okay and hopefully whatever damage there is it’s not too big to him.

“Cars we can always fix. At the end of the day ... the challenge of Bathurst, it can bite you. It could’ve bit any of us. It still could.”

Scroll down for our blog of Friday’s V8 Supercar action and reports from Practice 4 and 5.

PRACTICE 5 REPORT

TAKE a bow, Jamie Whincup. The six-time series champion has become the first driver to take a V8 Supercar around Mount Panorama in two minutes and four seconds.

Whincup barrelled around the 6.213 kilometre circuit in 2 minutes and 4.9097 seconds, slashing half a second of Fabian Coulthard’s day-old mark.

The Red Bull squad have been keeping their powder dry throughout the weekend so far, with neither Whincup, Craig Lowndes or either of their co-drivers nudging the top of the timesheets throughout the four preceding sessions.

Whincup was similarly lowkey when talking about his phenomenal lap, one that will go down in V8 history.

“We’re just going about our job trying to make the buggy as quick as possible,” he said. “We won’t get too carried away with practice - obviously it’s a cool to see that number on the dash.”

With qualifying set to take place in cooler conditions this afternoon, Whincup expects his time may be beaten before the ink dries in the history books.

“No doubt there’s going to be a big improvement for qually this arvo so we’ll keep chipping away,” he said. “Plenty of temp today, I think that’s going to cool down over the weekend.

“It’s about having the right car at the right time, and I think the engineers hit the money then,” he added with a smile.

For the record, Scott Pye was the first driver to lower COulthard’s mark from Thursday afternoon with a 2m05.2436s lap, beaten only by Whincup, with Jason Bright rounding out the top three.

In all, the first nine cars broke into the 2m05s bracket - the last of those Michael Caruso in the best of the Nissans - but the Red Bull squad has now moved the goalposts into the 2m04s.

Bathurst rookie Simona de Silvestro continued to make steady progress, logging a 2m08.9671s lap to finish the session in 26th place.

PRACTICE 4 REPORT

THE stage is set for stunning lap times on qualifying day at the Bathurst 1000 with the prospect of a V8 Supercar turning a lap in 2m04s for the first time.

Cameron Waters topped Friday morning’s Practice 4 session for the co-drivers on Mount Panorama, taking the Falcon he will share with Chaz Mostert around in 2m05.7220s, less than three tenths shy of Fabian Coulthard’s unofficial lap record set on Thursday.

The 21-year-old headed experienced hands Luke Youlden by a tenth, Russell Ingall, Paul Dumbrell and Marcos Ambrose making up the top five in the 45-minute session.

“It’s absolutely amazing to be in the fives!” Waters said. “I came here expecting to be in the sixes, and to be in the fives is unreal. Really happy with the car.”

The lap puts Waters into an exclusive club of drivers to have logged a ‘five’ around the Mountain, with both he and Youlden the latest additions after this morning’s session.

The Fords again showed impressive speed in the session, with Ambrose among the Blue Oval brigade trading the top of the timesheets with the Prodrive crew.

Ambrose ended the session with a 2m06.4332s best, 0.71s down on Waters but a good three seconds faster than his his quickest time in his glory days of 2001-2005.

“It feels pretty good but the track’s in great condition. I think you’re going to see a new record this afternoon,” Ambrose said.

“Really proud of the XBox team here this weekend. We haven’t had (green) tyres yet, and I probably won’t get them until the race, but I’m really excited by our form and the car feels pretty comfortable.”

Three Nissans appeared inside the top 11, while the best Volvo and Mercedes ended the session down in 13th (Alex Premat) and 19th (Alex Davison) respectively.

Bathurst debutante Renee Gracie slashed a couple of seconds off her best time aboard the Harvey Norman Supergirls entry, ending the session at the foot of the timesheets with a 2m09.4026s lap, 3.68 seconds off Waters’ time.