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GT World Challenge Europe

JOTA Withdraws After Pre-Qualifying Crash

Pre-qualifying crash damage forces British squad to withdraw from Sprint Cup round at Magny-Cours…

Photo: SRO/Kevin Pecks

JOTA’s No. 38 McLaren 720S GT3 has been withdrawn from this weekend’s Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup round at Magny-Cours after the car sustained damage during a crash in pre-qualifying on Friday evening.

Oliver Wilkinson made contact with the tyre barrier during the session, which brought out a lengthy red flag in the middle of the session.

While the team attempted to repair the car, it confirmed in a statement on social media that the damage caused by Wilkinson’s crash could not be repaired trackside.

“Due to damage sustained in an accident during practice, we are having to withdraw from this round of GT World Challenge Europe,” the team wrote.

“Thanks to our crew for working so hard to try and repair the car but sadly this is an issue that can’t be fixed trackside.

“We’ll be back stronger in Paul Ricard for the next round of the championship.”

The withdrawal leaves 24 cars on the grid for the second round of the Sprint Cup, with McLaren’s presence at Magny-Cours reduced from four to three.

The British marque remains represented by a two-car entry from Garage 59 as well as a single Pro-Am entry from JP Motorsport.

JOTA’s decision marks the second time in under a year that it has been forced to withdraw its entry from a GT World Challenge Europe event.

During last year’s campaign, the team missed out on the Endurance Cup round at Nurburgring.

This was the result of injuries sustained by Wilkinson in a huge crash during the previous weekend’s Sprint Cup round at Brands Hatch.

Davey Euwema is Sportscar365's European Editor. Based in The Netherlands, Euwema covers the FIA World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series and Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, among other series.

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