RACECAR driver Alex Areia survived a brush with death after crashing into the STANDS ahead of the Porsche Sprint Challenge.

Practice for this weekend's race took place at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao, Portugal early on Friday.

But it almost ended in tragedy as Areia lost control of his 991.2-generation 911 GT3 Cup car.

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.

His car skidded along and hit a tire barrier before cannoning through the fence and landing backward in the grandstand.

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.

The wreckage of Areira's car - which was well and truly written off - had to be lifted out of the stands by a crane.

Racing fans feared for Areia's safety after seeing the horrific crash, the tail end of which was caught on camera.

But he miraculously walked away from the accident with no injuries.

The speedster addressed the scary crash on Twitter, writing: "It was very angry.

"I ran out of brakes at the end of the straight, I practically became a passenger.

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.

"Keep strong."

One racing fan said of the crash: "That’s insane.

"In a packed grandstand, there are a dozen or more fatalities and just as many injuries. Wow."

Another said: "WOAH. Thank the Lord that this was during a practice session! Hope the driver is ok!"

And another said: "f we had the stands crowded now we would be talking about 10 dead people."