Moorespeed Audi Withdrawn After Heavy FP1 Crash

Photo: Scott LePage/IMSA

The No. 19 Moorespeed Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo has been withdrawn from this weekend’s Sahlen’s Six Hour of The Glen following a heavy accident and fire in opening practice Friday morning at Watkins Glen International.

Will Hardeman made contact with the barriers at the inside of the Bus Stop Chicane in the session, prior to the car briefly catching fire.

Safety workers cut the roof of the GT3 contender to extricate Hardeman, who according to an IMSA spokesperson, then walked to the ambulance under his own power.

Hardeman has since been airlifted to a hospital in Syracuse for precautionary checks.

“I talked to Will and he said he got his bell rung,” said team owner David Moore. 

Moore said the damage to the car, even before the roof being cut, would have prevented the team from competing this weekend.

Hardeman was due to share the GT Daytona class contender with Alex Riberas and Andrew Davis.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John