Supercars doctor hits remarkable milestone in Townsville

This weekend’s NTI Townsville 500 is a remarkable one for Dr Carl Le, who celebrates 500 races as Supercars’ doctor.

Dr Le, who has been Supercars’ permanent Medical Delegate since 2008, will bring up 500 races on Friday.

The Victorian, an alumni of Melbourne University who also runs an emergency department company, has been at the forefront of the sport for nearly 20 years, and has emerged as one of the leaders in motorsport medical response.

Dr Le has been a pioneer in incident response procedures and tools, and has handled some of the most significant incidents and responses in Supercars history.

The 500th race start milestone would have been come earlier, if not for border closures in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID pandemic, with Dr Le unable to leave Victoria. All told, Dr Le has been trackside for 499 of 536 races in the last 18 years.

An expert, pioneer and race fan, Dr Le developed the ‘Driver Slider' and ‘Universal Rollcage Hook’, ensuring safer and faster methods for rescuing drivers from a vehicle. He also co-founded the volunteer Team Medical Australia association.

He was also added to the COVID-19 Honour Roll, which was brought in 2021 for contribution, service, or achievement relating to the pandemic. Notably, he contributed to Erebus Motorsport's medical project, helping produce 10,000 face shields for hospital staff around Australia at the height of the pandemic.

He was recognised with a Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours list for his service to the industry.

While he is a constant in the paddock, tending to drivers, crew and staff at events, keen-eyed viewers will see Dr Le lining up behind the field at the start of races.

Aboard a Porsche Cayenne Medical Car, Dr Le follows the formation lap and first race lap of every race. The Medical Car is then positioned at pit exit, and is on stand by for the entirety of the race. The Medical Car follows the first lap of races, as this is when there is the highest risk of car to car contact.

The procedure was inaugurated by the late Professor Syd Watkins for Formula 1 in 1978, following Ronnie Peterson’s fatal start line incident.

Across the last 18 years, Porsche has supplied Cayennes and Panameras as Supercars’ Medical Car.

While Dr Le has been behind the wheel of the Medical Car on a number of occasions, he is usually the front passenger. The drivers are usually current and former race car drivers.

The initiative has saved lives in Supercars, with Dr Le notably responding to the shocking 2011 start-line incident in Perth, with Karl Reindler and Steve Owen walking away from a terrifying fireball.

Recently, Dr Le also tended to Andre Heimgartner and Thomas Randle after their scary crash at The Bend in 2022.

“One of my favourite memories is me lining up behind Mark Skaife at Symmons Plains in 2008,” Dr Le said.

“We were in a Porsche Cayenne then, and I was the driver! It was surreal to be on the grid behind one of my race track heroes! I drove the formation and first laps with a huge smile on my face.”

Dr Le will follow the supercars field when Race 20 commences on Friday afternoon at 3:40pm AEST.