On Wednesday evening, the #12 Hertz Team JOTA Porsche 963 lay broken between the Forest Esses and Tertre Rouge after Callum Ilott spun off and crashed during Free Practice 2.
Less than 48 hours after the crash, the replacement car – a repurposed Porsche Penske Motorsport chassis that had been earmarked for IMSA competition – has now undergone a special shakedown test at Le Mans Arnage Airport.
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Team Principal Dieter Gass said in an official statement that rebuilding a new car around a spare tub normally takes three weeks – but with the opportunity to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on the line, JOTA Sport’s team of mechanics and engineers have cleared that benchmark with ease – in just 24 hours – and Ilott had the chance to drive the car down the airstrip tonight in the shakedown.
“It feels great to be back in the car, although it was a little wet out there and obviously we had to build up to things slowly,” said Ilott.
“Even though the shakedown is short, it’s great to get a little mileage in the car and check the systems. It’s just incredible that the car is running and I’m beyond grateful and proud of the team for their heroic work getting us this far.
“Everything feels good, looks good – I think we’re ready to roll. Will (Stevens) will take the reins in the Warm-Up and make sure that it feels good on track and we’ll see from there.
“A huge thank you to the team for their determination and team spirit, it’s humbling and makes me extremely proud to be part of this family.”
Should everything proceed without any further incident, the #12 JOTA Porsche of Ilott, Will Stevens, and Norman Nato will start eighth out of 23 Hypercars tomorrow, with Stevens assigned as the starting driver. Ilott had earned the right to participate in Hyperpole but was unable to take part due to his crash.
Feature image © JOTA
