‘I’m lucky and happy to be alive’ — A touring car race was suspended after a shocking 16 car pile-up in Macau

The race commentator described the scene as “mayhem.”YouTube screenshot

• A race in Macau had to be suspended after a 16-car pile-up obstructed a tight bend on the 3.8 mile circuit.
• The crash occured during the opening lap, the race was immediately red-flagged, as cranes were called in to clear the wreckage.
• One driver, Raffaele Marciello, said he is “lucky” and “happy to be alive.”

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An FIA GT World Cup qualifying race had to be suspended after a massive pile-up obstructed a tight bend at a 3.8 mile track in Macau.

Spanish racer Daniel Juncadella crashed into the wall by the “Police bend” in the very first lap. Though Raffaele Marciello was able to avoid Juncadella, 15 other cars in pursuit all crashed into each other.

The race was immediately suspended and cranes were called in to clear the wreckage as only four cars out of 20 escaped the pile-up.

Brazilian driver Marciello, from the Mercedes-AMG Team, said he “was lucky,” according to the South China Morning Post. He added: “I am happy to be alive. It’s a special track but it’s also scary.”

GT World Cup winner Laurens Vanthoor, who was involved in the 16-car pile-up, told Motorsport.com that he “could not see” Juncadella. He “tried to break” but “couldn’t do anything.”

The Police bend is so tight there is only “room for one car… and you’re blind.”

There were no reports of injuries but only eight cars out of the 20 were made ready for the restart.

You can watch footage of the incident here.