HVM STATUS GP forced to retire from the Le Mans 24 Hours due to accident

Canadian Tony Burgess was on the first flying lap of his night-time stint at just after quarter past two in the morning when he left the road in the VISIT FLORIDA-backed car. The impact was heavy, but Burgess was able to climb out of the car and walk to a waiting ambulance.

He was taken to the circuit medical centre and subsequently transported to hospital with bruising for further standard precautionary checks.

The HVM Status GP Lola had enjoyed a trouble-free run for the first 11 hours, and at the time of the accident was lying in 13th position in the hotly-contested LMP2 class, within two laps of the top eight out of the field of 22 cars. Burgess had already driven a triple stint during the evening.

Britain's Johnny Mowlem had taken over the car just after the quarter-distance mark and recorded the team's two fastest laps of the Le Mans week very early in his triple stint. Then Swiss racer Jonathan Hirschi drove a triple stint, during which, like Mowlem, he set a consistent pace as the team sought to climb the leaderboard.

HVM Status GP technical director Rob Arnott said: “Track conditions were very difficult when Tony took over – it was night time, it was getting cold and it was slippery.

“It was obviously a great relief when we saw him walk away from the accident. Many of the components are completely destroyed but the safety cell and everything else stood up to the impact incredibly well and it all absorbed the impact.

“The Lola is a very safe car, and I have to say that the fact that it is a coupe minimised the risk to Tony, because he was protected from any parts that came loose in the impact. We are obviously bitterly disappointed about what happened, but thankful for the safety standards in our car.”

The HVM Status GP Lola was racing in the livery of new primary sponsor VISIT FLORIDA, the state's official tourism marketing corporation, and carried the branding of VISIT FLORIDA's travel planning website VISITFLORIDA.com, Viva Florida 500 and Brand USA.