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24H Le Mans

ProSpeed to Replace Car, Driver Following Crash

ProSpeed to replace car and driver following qualifying crash…

Photo: Zach Miller/WeatherTech Racing

Photo: Zach Miller/WeatherTech Racing

ProSpeed Competition is working hard to get the No. 79 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR ready for tomorrow’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The Porsche crashed heavily last night, resulting in serious damage to the chassis. It soon became clear that the car was beyond immediate repair and the Belgian team started looking for a replacement chassis.

Bret Curtis was briefly knocked out and was taken to a local hospital for checks. Even though the American driver, who was due to share the wheel of the WeatherTech-sponsored entry with Jeroen Bleekemolen and Cooper MacNeil, returned to the circuit today, doctors did not clear him to race.

“Bret briefly lost consciousness after the crash,” Bleekemolen said. “He couldn’t recall the accident, but he returned from the medical center. He said he felt well and would be ready to race, should he be declared fit to race.

“The doctors didn’t give him the green light though. They are cautious and don’t want to take any risks. I do know this myself. You’ve just crashed and one or two days later you’re starting to feel it, so I can understand their decision.”

Prospeed has found a replacement car and driver in France. Sebastien Crubilé is set to replace Curtis in the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR that he races in the European Le Mans Series.

“Sébastien raced at Le Mans last year with ProSpeed, so team and driver know each other,” Bleekemolen said. “He will be able to drive in the warm up tomorrow morning, so if all goes to plan we will be on the grid tomorrow.”

The Stewards of the Meeting have yet to confirm the requested changes. “Everything has been put in motion, and I am hopeful that it works out the way we want,” Bleekemolen added.

René de Boer contributed to this article.

Marcel ten Caat (@marceltencaat) is a contributor to Sportscar365 and other publications including Autosport.nl.

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