Motorsport: Clark knows every race could be his last

SYDNEY - David Clark knows that every time he steps into a racing car he could die.

He knew it on the morning he crested a rise on Mt Panorama at 200km/h and saw New Zealander Mark Porter's car stranded across the track in front of him.

But Porter's death from their horrific collision on October 6 and the fact it nearly killed Clark will not keep him away from motorsport when he eventually makes a full recovery.

"I'm still going to race, no matter what," Clark said yesterday at a bedside press conference at Nepean Hospital in western Sydney.

"I love it, simple fact, I love it. Ask people who Base jump why they do it? Because they love it. They know they could die the next time they do it.

"It'll take a lot more than this to stop me getting back in the seat.

"It's something I try not to think about. Every time I put the helmet on, it's pretty much, yeah, the chances are this could be it."

Clark, 28, is expected to make a full recovery and hopes to be back behind the wheel next year despite spending two days in a coma and on life support with massive injuries after the crash in a second-tier race during the Bathurst 1000 meeting.

Porter, 31, died two days after the accident from head and chest injuries.

Clark is expected to remain in hospital for another five weeks as he recovers from injuries that include a punctured lung, three broken ribs, a chipped kneecap, multiple pelvic fractures, broken right forearm and a right leg broken above and below the knee.

The Adelaide father of three remembers nothing about the accident but has seen replays and says he finds it hard to picture himself involved.

"It was a freak accident," he said. "It actually feels like it was a blank car, no one in it. It didn't feel like I was in it at all."

He had no time to react as he came up the mountain and saw Porter's stalled Holden Commodore stranded in an area blind to oncoming traffic.

He did his best to swing his Falcon sideways to lessen the impact and slowed to around 140km/h on impact.

"The natural instinct is try to get the speed off the car and unfortunately I was just going too fast and couldn't slow down enough and we hit door to door," he said. "There wasn't really much we could do about it."

He said he had no doubt new head restraints recently introduced to V8 racing saved his life.

He was not told about his friend's death until three days after he died and is yet to speak to Porter's family, but hoped to do so soon.

"I am sorry about it and it is an unfortunate thing," Clark said. "I'm yet to speak to his wife and family about it, so until then I probably won't come out with any comment."

NSW police, the state coroner, Confederation of Australian Motor Sport and V8 Supercars Australia are conducting inquiries.

- AAP