Thursday's second practice session for Petit Le Mans was halted early after Patron Highcroft Racing's Scott Sharp suffered a massive crash at Turn 2 on the Road Atlanta circuit.
Sharp's Acura P1 car clipped the Farnbacher-Loles Porsche of Dirk Werner after apparently not seeing the GT car, and while the Porsche was able to stop out on track the prototype was sent flipping towards the wall.
The at-track commentary from Radio Le Mans described the car tumbling at least three times, before hitting the catch fence with the bottom of car, before rolling down the wall.
The crash left shredded pieces of car and fence along with the earth thrown up by the crash across the track, with the right rear completely ripped off the Nick Wirth designed machine.
It was, to quote the commentators, “more like a plane crash”.
Sharp was able to climb out of the car under his own power, approaching the first marshals, seeming to ask them what happened, reinforcing the suggestion he had not seen the no.87 Porsche.
With the dirt on his helmet paid testament to the frightening nature of the car Sharp was taken to the medical facilities at the track, before being quickly cleared and allowed back to his team's pit.
The car and track, however, may not be so lucky. The GT3 race that was due to follow the practice session was delayed as first the wreckage from the two cars was cleared from the track, then repairs were done to the wall and catch fencing, which at points had been all but totally destroyed.
The team now face a race against time to have their car ready for the remainder of the Petit Le Mans weekend. It is one of only two Acura P1 chassis, the other being run by their championship rivals de Ferran, and with the extensive nature of the damage it remains to be seen, firstly, whether the central tub of the car is damage, and secondly, whether they have enough spare parts to rebuild the car in time for Saturday's race, let alone tomorrow's qualifying session.
