Tim Pappas has been transported to a local hospital after a massive crash in Friday’s second practice session for the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.
The Black Swan Racing team owner/driver lost control of his No. 540 Porsche 911 GT3 R in the high-speed Chase section before making heavy rear impact with the barriers.
The car caught fire, while Pappas remained in the car, with safety crews arriving nearly two minutes later to put out the remainder of the blaze, which was confined to the rear of the GT3 car.
While his extraction took nearly 20 minutes, a Porsche spokesperson confirmed to Sportscar365 that he’s awake and alert and being transported to a hospital for further evaluation.
An update on his condition is expected to be made available later today.
Pappas was due to share the wheel of the car this weekend with Jeroen Bleekemolen and Marc Lieb.
It was one of three accidents to impact the morning’s running for the Intercontinental GT Challenge season-opener, including a collision between the No. 51 Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GT3 of Paul Dalla Lana and Shane van Gisbergen in the No. 888 Mercedes-AMG GT3.