JOTA to Replace No. 12 Porsche Chassis After FP2 Crash

Hertz Team JOTA’s No. 12 Porsche 963 is in danger of missing Thursday’s Hyperpole session as the team has been left scrambling to replace the chassis after Callum Ilott’s crash in Free Practice 2.

The British driver went off exiting the Forest Esses in the closing moments of Wednesday evening’s two-hour night session, triggering a red flag.

TV images showed the car sustained significant front-end damage in the impact, from which Ilott was able to walk away unaided.

Team principal Dieter Gass said the team is “carefully assessing the situation to understand our options for the remainder of the weekend.”

He added: “Most importantly, Callum is unharmed and we’re very grateful for the speedy assistance of the race marshals and medical team.

“Unfortunately, the monocoque sustained damage so it needs to be replaced. This is now our number one priority and the team are working incredibly hard to get the car built up.

“In parallel we are in constant communication with the ACO and the FIA to make sure that we fulfill all regulatory obligations before being able to communicate our next steps.”

The No. 12 Porsche is due to appear in Hyperpole at 8 p.m. CEST (2 p.m. EDT) later this afternoon after Ilott was promoted to eighth when Kamui Kobayashi was stripped of his times for causing a red flag.

Before that, Thursday track action is due to get underway with a three-hour Free Practice session at 3 p.m. (9 a.m. EDT).

Ilott and co-driver Will Stevens won the most recent FIA World Endurance Championship round at Spa-Francorchamps and climbed to second place in the Hypercar drivers’ standings as a result.