Black Swan to “Regroup” After Bathurst Withdrawal

Photo: Endurance-Info

Weekend-ending accidents on consecutive weekends and multiple injuries to team owner/driver Tim Pappas has forced Black Swan Racing to “regroup” before determining its future plans.

The American squad has withdrawn from this weekend’s Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour following a heavy crash by Pappas in practice for the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli season-opening round.

Pappas was airlifted to a Sydney hospital and later diagnosed with fractures to his right arm and pelvis from the high-speed accident in the No. 540 Porsche 911 GT3 R he was due to share with Jeroen Bleekemolen and Marc Lieb.

It came less than a week after heavy damage was sustained to the team’s 2019-spec Porsche in the rain-soaked Rolex 24 at Daytona, in what’s believed to also have been a chassis write-off.

While Pappas is expected to make a full recovery, it’s unclear whether the team will continue its planned programs in IGTC and the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup this year.

The team headed into Bathurst looking to defend its GT3 Pro-Am class victory and overall podium finish from last year.

“Of course it’s a difficult way to end the weekend,” said Pappas. “After last year’s victory we came in very confident on the weekend, but ultimately I’m fortunate that the accident wasn’t worse than it was.

“Thanks to all the guys as well as Porsche Motorsport for putting together a safe car, the injuries could have been more severe.

“We’ll regroup and see what the next steps are.”

The next race on the team’s schedule is the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 16, followed by the California 8 Hours at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca two weeks later.

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