[VIDEO] Corvette Racing Withdraws No.63 C7.R From Le Mans After Qualifying Accident

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[VIDEO] Corvette Racing Withdraws No.63 C7.R From Le Mans After Qualifying Accident


On Thursday evening during qualifying for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a mechanical failure to Corvette Racing’s No.63 Corvette C7.R driven by Jan Magnussen resulted in a hard crash at the Porsche curves. The Corvette C7.R had significant damage to both the front and the rear and the team announced the withdraw from the race after it became apparent that the car could not be fixed on-site.

Following the crash, Magnussen was taken to the medical center where he was checked and released by the ACO’s medical staff.

We are still not sure what exactly was the nature of the mechanical failure on the No.63 Corvette, but current speculation is that the throttle stuck. A replay shows heavy breaking and you can hear Jan quickly downshifting just prior to the first impact in the Porsche curves. The front of the C7.R is damaged and then the car slowly spins across the track and the rear of the C7.R makes hard contact with concrete wall.

Jan was seen removing his helmet which was a great first sign that he was okay. The track’s safety crew was able to extract him where he was taken to the medical center.

The damaged Corvette was covered with a tarp and hauled back to Corvette Racing’s pit garage on a flatbed.

Here’s a replay of the crash:


This video replay from a French broadcast is a little longer and shows Jan being attended to by the safety crew in the moments after the accident. The on-board camera shows Jan removing his helmet while Corvette Racing’s crew watches the monitors from the garage:


“We are thankful that Jan has been checked and released by the ACO medical staff,” said Mark Kent, Director of Chevrolet Racing. “We are disappointed that the No. 63 Corvette C7.R will be unable to compete at Le Mans this year. The Corvette Racing team put a lot of work into preparing two C7.Rs for this event, and unfortunately only one will be in the race.”

This is the first time in Corvette Racing’s 15 year history that a car had to be withdrawn and now the No.64 Corvette C7.R will have to carry the flag into Saturday’s race.

I am sure that we will learn more details in the coming days. We are very happy to know that Jan is doing okay following the incident but like all Corvette Racing fans, it’s disappointing to not have the No.63 on the track this weekend and we are sure that Mags, Antonio Garcia and Ryan Briscoe, along with No.63’s crew, are equally disappointed as well.


Source:
Corvette Racing

Related:
Corvette Racing at Le Mans: Ready for Another Classic
Corvette Racing at Le Mans: Plenty of Work and Rain on Test Day
Corvette Racing at Le Mans: Test Day Sets the Stage for 24 Hours

 



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