Jaw-dropping scenes saw a Tesla car drive onto a race track – in the middle of a superbike competition.

The red electric vehicle caused panic during the final round of the American Federation of Motorcyclists racing season on October 26.

The club was racing at the new track at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in Kern County, California, a circuit that also features a Tesla charging station inside the paddock.

The bikes at the event are capable of 150mph, and the quick-thinking actions of the race management and stewards saved what could have been a disaster.

As the vehicle comes into view, the race commentator is heard saying "In a world of 'what the F', I present to you, 'what the F'. This may be the biggest F I've ever what'ed."

"We're in a red flag situation for something on course that's not supposed to be there. There's a car on course — somehow there's a car on the racecourse. A car, a car. Someone has driven a car on the racecourse."

"I've been watching motorcycle racing for 23 years and I don't know what I'm looking at right now."

"Is that a Tesla? I believe that is a Tesla driver who is trying to find the Tesla charging station."

"Since nobody died, I guess all you can do is laugh."

Max Klein, who was filming the event for his company Oxymoron Photography, said: "About 7 hours into the 9-hour broadcast, I heard the club's race director, Barbera Smith, on the radio frantically trying to get someone to stop a car that was heading through the track exit onto a live racetrack."

"The race had just started, and the leaders were about two corners away from where the Tesla stopped when the red flag was thrown to warn the riders and put a halt to the race."

"There is a strong chance that there would have been serious injuries if action was not taken as quickly as it was."

"The driver told the turnworker who ran over to the car that the auto drive feature took him that way. After he was escorted from the racing surface by track management, he then told the race director a conflicting explanation — that he was following the GPS instructions."

"Either way, based on the configuration of the track there is no way that either of his excuses would be programmed into the car, as the track can only be run in a clockwise direction due to an endangered species habitat located in the track's infield. The driver entered going counter-clockwise."

"I was shocked to hear that a car was heading on track, as everyone in the paddock who was there for the event is aware that they are not allowed on the racing surface at any time, even if they are on foot."

"Before I saw the car, I had a hunch that it was a Tesla, as people using the charging station had been oblivious to the rules of the paddock all weekend, with much more minor infractions such as standing on the hot pit wall and wandering into the registration building."

"Once the situation was reduced from bikes capable of over 150mph flying around a corner at a wayward Tesla to watching the driver getting yelled at by the race director, my mood switched from nervous anger to actually feeling a bit sorry for the driver, as you could tell by the body language of the race director that he was getting an earful that he had likely never witnessed before."