![From Gas Station to Google with Self-Taught Cloud Engineer Rishab Kumar [Podcast #158]](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1738339892695/6b303b0a-c99c-4074-b4bd-104f98252c0c.png?#)
Multi-Car Collision Under Darkness Eliminates Contenders
Multiple class front-runners out in heavy crash under the cover of darkness...
Image: IMSA
Seven cars, including multiple class front-running contenders, were involved in a crash on the race’s fourth safety car restart in the eighth hour.
Louis Deletraz lost the rear of his No. 40 Cadillac V-Series.R taking the green flag, spinning him into the wall on the outside of Turn 2 and ricocheting the car into the path of Nick Boulle’s No. 2 United Autosports Oreca 07 Gibson, and the No. 73 Pratt Miller Motorsports LMP2 entry.
While the No. 2 United Oreca was retired with race-ending damage, Sebastien Bourdais’ No. 8 Tower machine was able to continue under its own power, despite also sustaining front-end damage.
After the initial multi-car collision, the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 collected Max Hesse’s No. 48 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO while attempting to take avoiding action.
Hesse was leading the GTD Pro field with Jordan Pepper’s Pfaff Lamborghini behind in second at the time of the crash. After being brought back to the garage, the plaid Lamborghini was officially retired.
The No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R of Laurin Heinrich was also caught up in the restart melee, but appeared to escape unharmed.
Deletraz, Boulle, Chris Cumming, Hesse and Pepper were taken to the infield care center after the incident for evaluation and were released.
The No. 40 Cadillac had controlled the race’s early evening hours after Kamui Kobayashi brought the chrome-liveried machine to the head of the field after the race’s third yellow before handing the car over to Deletraz. The car was eventually retired.
Jack Aitken maintained the lead of the field in the No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac after jumping to the head of the field during a yellow flag pit stop in the race’s eighth hour.
Behind Aitken, the No. 7 Porsche 963 sat in second with Brendon Hartley’s No. 10 WTR Cadillac running third.
Acura Meyer Shank Racing’s No. 60 ARX-06 held fourth under yellow, while Neel Jani rounded out the top five in the No. 5 Proton Competition 963.
In a tight LMP2 field, United Autosports’ Paul Di Resta led the field in the No. 22 Oreca ahead of AF Corse’s Dylan Murry.
Meanwhile, Ford Multimatic Motorsports sat in the lead of the GTD Pro field after quick work in the pits, with Fabian Schiller’s No. 69 GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo in second.
Franck Perera’s No. 78 Forte Racing Lamborghini sat at the head the GTD field.
The race’s third full-course caution was triggered when Andy Lally stopped on track at Turn 2 inside the sixth hour, stranding his No. 44 Magnus Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo on track with fluid leaking from the engine bay.
Just over an hour later, another yellow was shown when Roman De Angelis lost the rear left wheel on his No. 007 Heart of Racing Team Vantage into the Turn 1 braking zone.
After early-race troubles overheating troubles put it behind the wall, the No. 75 SunEnergy1 Racing GTD Pro entry of Kenny Habul, Mikael Grenier, Jules Gounon and Maro Engel ultimately retired after running multiple laps down.
