The weekend transformed by the accident
While Porsche Penske celebrated the pole position won by Kevin Estre in the Hyperpole on Thursday evening, in the same session there was one notable absentee among the teams who battled to achieve this result. Missing from the call, in fact, was the team’s 963 Jota #12, for a reason linked to an episode that occurred during FP2. In this session, in fact, it happened Callum Ilott’s accident, a fact that had forced the Porsche customer team not to take part in the Hyperpole due to the damage suffered. The team, which did not even participate in the subsequent free practice sessions, concentrated fully on operations to repair the damage in time, also obtaining the green light from the WEC to carry out a shakedown today at the airport lasting half an hour. Now.
Confidence for the race
Interviewed by the media, Ilott appears very optimistic not only about the team’s work to reconstruct the chassis in time, but also about the optimal set up found in FP2 for the race: “We found a good setup – Ilott explained to the media – many parts, fortunately, were all OK in the accident. It was just the front of the right corner and the frame, so we can transfer everything. I think everything should be fine, so we will be in a good position. I didn’t see the car this morning, but it was in good condition when I left. Many mechanics are really, really good at what they do.”
The explanation of the accident
In conclusion, Ilott described the accident, which also caused some pain in his neck: “I was pushing, not overdoing it, but pushing I had a little skid and then and unfortunately a big alarm on the dashboard, and I was a little distracted by that. I lost my mind and overcorrected. It all happened at the wrong time and I couldn’t get the car back. It was quite a strong blow, so not too serious, but at the same time annoying. It’s probably the first time I’ve had an accident in an endurance environment with the whole team. I was quite disappointed by all this, but obviously now that the car is ready we will have to concentrate fully on it. I had to reset and I’m good to go.”
