Le Mans 24 Hours race 2023 hit by BIZARRE crash

Le Mans 24 hours

Le Mans 24 Hours race hit by BIZARRE crash

The Le Mans 24 Hour race was hit by a strange crash in the early stages of the race

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Saturday 10 June 2023 19:27

The Le Mans 24 Hour race was hit with a bizarre crash within the first 90 minutes of the event at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

In what is the 100th anniversary of one of the most famous motor races in the world, yellow flags were brought out early on after a strange incident just after the start/finish straight.

Rodrigo Sales was being overtaken just after the start while heading towards the famous Dunlop chicane, before he lost control of his Nielsen Racing car.

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The No 14 LMP2 entry was preparing to tackle the corner by moving to the right of the track only to lose total control and end up spinning off and crashing into a barrier on the side of the track.

Sales unhurt in crash

The team thankfully confirmed that Sales was unhurt following the incident.

However, the Nielsen team's car was heavily damaged losing its right front wheel to put them out of the race.

SLOW ZONE 🟡 The #14 Nielsen Racing crashes into the barrier in the Dunlop chicane.#WEC #LeMans24 #LeMansCentenary pic.twitter.com/YWeXcFRwp4
— FIA World Endurance Championship (@FIAWEC) June 10, 2023

It was a sad ending for the team as they ran fifth in the LMP2 class early on through Mathias Beche.

Toyota are seeking to win the race for a sixth consecutive year outright but face a challenge from Ferrari who have returned to the top level for the first time in 50 years.

The Italian outfit qualified on pole position but Toyota led the way in the early stages of the race.