A spectacular collision between Jack Aitken and Kevin Estre in the final laps of the Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix has left a dramatic balance at Road America. With just over 10 minutes to go in the race, the two drivers were intensely competing for second place when the incident occurred.
At the moment the race resumed, Estre, driving the Porsche 963 of Penske Motorsport, and Aitken, who was driving the Cadillac V-Series.R, made contact at the first corner. The result was a crash that sent both machines into the barriers, ending their races and leaving the situation frozen under a yellow flag.
This collision allowed Filipe Albuquerque to secure victory with his Cadillac from Wayne Taylor Racing, while Aitken and Estre were provisionally classified in eighth and ninth positions, respectively, in the GTP class. However, the final results are still unofficial, as IMSA is conducting a detailed review of the incident.
The collision also caused a significant change on the podium, with Laurin Heinrich, Aitken’s direct rival for the title, recovering and taking second place due to a penalty to the Aston Martin vehicle of Heart of Racing. Aitken now sees his championship lead reduced to 108 points with only two races left to run.
Drivers’ opinions
Both parties have expressed their opinions about the controversy. Estre described the situation as an example of the fierce competition on the track, avoiding placing all the blame on Aitken. ‘I don’t think there is absolute blame for anyone. It was an intense fight and we met’, he shared on social media.
In contrast, Aitken was more critical of the behavior in the last minutes of the race. ‘It’s a shame to lose like this, as we had done a great race until then. The driving of some rivals was beyond what is acceptable’, he lamented, referring to the aggression experienced on the track.
With the podium in the hands of their rivals, both drivers will now focus their attention on the final stretch of the competition, hoping to recover in the last two races of the season.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_74c1984991feb3f15dc8d8f665d4a85e56828b9b