Two-time 24 Hours of Daytona winner Filipe Albuquerque was released from the hospital last night after crashing out of the season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Albuquerque went off at turn one and crashed head-on into the tyre barriers after he appeared to be pushed off course by championship rival Pipo Derani.
The Portuguese driver was assisted into an ambulance where he was taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluations, and released after midnight.
“Just left the hospital and I am fine,” Albuquerque wrote on social media at 12:43 AM ET on Sunday. “Thanks everyone for the messages. My right hand hurts a bit and my back but I will be fine. Thanks IMSA for the quick assistance and to my teammate that were waiting for me at the hospital.”
Derani went on to finish sixth overall in Saturday’s race and clinched the GTP class championship alongside co-driver Alexander Sims after IMSA Race Control investigated the incident and took no further action.
WTRAndretti team owner Wayne Taylor, and Albuquerque’s co-drivers Ricky Taylor and Louis Deletraz, declined to give any interviews to NBC Sports or IMSA Radio in the aftermath of the incident and have yet to give any post-race statement as of the publication of this article – other than to acknowledge that Albuquerque was seen and released from the hospital.
Feature image © Richard Dole / IMSA
