RACECAR driver Alex Areia survived a brush with death after crashing into the STANDS ahead of the Porsche Sprint Challenge.<br /><br />Practice for this weekend's race took place at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao, Portugal early on Friday.<br /><br />But it almost ended in tragedy as Areia lost control of his 991.2-generation 911 GT3 Cup car.<br /><br />The Portuguese petrolhead lost control while at full speed in the braking zone of a very tight corner and eventually went into a gravel trap.<br /><br />His car skidded along and hit a tire barrier before cannoning through the fence and landing backward in the grandstand.<br /><br />Thankfully, there was no one sitting in the area of the stand where Areia's car flew into - which would've been packed during race day.<br /><br />The wreckage of Areira's car - which was well and truly written off - had to be lifted out of the stands by a crane.<br /><br />Racing fans feared for Areia's safety after seeing the horrific crash, the tail end of which was caught on camera.<br /><br />But he miraculously walked away from the accident with no injuries.<br /><br />The speedster addressed the scary crash on Twitter, writing: "It was very angry.<br /><br />"I ran out of brakes at the end of the straight, I practically became a passenger.<br /><br />Luckily, no one was in that area of the grandstand and I managed to get out of the accident unharmed, thanks to the safety level of that car.<br /><br />"Keep strong."<br /><br />One racing fan said of the crash: "That’s insane.<br /><br />"In a packed grandstand, there are a dozen or more fatalities and just as many injuries. Wow."<br /><br />Another said: "WOAH. Thank the Lord that this was during a practice session! Hope the driver is ok!"<br /><br />And another said: "f we had the stands crowded now we would be talking about 10 dead people."
