Le Mans 2014: Aston Martin's #99 GTE Pro car withdrawn after crash
The #99 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE has withdrawn from the Le Mans 24 Hours due to damage sustained in a heavy crash at the end of the first qualifying session
Fernando Rees went off at the second part of the Porsche Curves halfway through Wednesday night's two-hour session, the first of three for the French enduro.
The Brazilian, who shares the car with Alex MacDowall and Darryl O'Young, revealed that the chassis was damaged during the crash and part of the roof broken during its attempted recovery.
"The impact with the barrier was at high speed, so the most important thing is that Fernando is OK," said Richard Coleman, CEO of the Craft-Bamboo Racing effort that works in conjunction with AMR on the car.
"It is disappointing to have to withdraw from the race but the car cannot be fixed from here.
"Our mechanics worked relentlessly on the car throughout the night but it was impossible to restore it to the safety standards required for racing."
AMR boss John Gaw told AUTOSPORT the car was "definitely not going to be out for qualifying" but had retained hope of it making the start on Saturday before Coleman withdrew the entry.
Rees, who suffered bruising to his left foot but has not broken any bones, added: "The idea was to fix it for today, [but] it was badly damaged.
"The chassis got hit quite hard itself, but one of the concerns is that when the guys came to pick it up they [the recovery crew] put the system in the wrong place and they damaged the roof.
"For the extent of the crash it was really minimal what happened to me. It was a big one. I'm taking medication and I'm going back to the track doctor again later.
"I don't know what happened because I was knocked out for a couple of seconds. There was nothing strange [on the data], just a big snap of oversteer. We've still got to understand what happened."
Follow all the track action from the Le Mans 24 Hours with AUTOSPORT Live's coverage, starting again with qualifying two at 6pm UK time
Previous article
Le Mans 24 Hours: Porsche serious about bid for pole position
Next article
Le Mans 24 Hours: Nissan ZEOD won't try electric lap in qualifying
6 Hours of Monza Full Race Highlights
6 Hours of Monza: Qualifying Highlights
Peugeot Hypercar 9X8 Unveiling
WEC: Portugal - Race highlights
WEC: Portugal - Alpine on pole
The standout memories of Le Mans 2021
OPINION: With four of the five Hypercar entries unproven in a 24-hour race, it would not have been unexpected for at least one of them to suffer serious reliability trouble. That they all managed to make it through the race relatively unscathed, says GARY WATKINS, was something of a surprise.
Why Toyota's Le Mans victory was not as simple as it looked
Toyota scored its fourth Le Mans 24 Hours victory and a 1-2, with the #7 car of Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Jose Maria Lopez beating the #8. But although it looked straightforward from the outside, Toyota faced serious problem that had to be solved with some quick-thinking and ingenuity
How overlooked Mazda produced one of Le Mans' greatest shocks
The screaming rotary-engined Mazda 787 is regarded as one of the most popular Le Mans 24 Hours-winning cars, but until its surprise success on this day 30 years ago it was never regarded as a likely victor. But that reckoned without a new technical partner, some canny political manoeuvring and a rival's bizarre self-inflicted weakness
Can Toyota's #7 crew break its Le Mans curse?
One Toyota, normally with the number 7 on the side, always seems to attract the bad luck in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez are hoping for a change in fortune this time around, but face significantly more unknowns than in recent years
Why Glickenhaus should be taken seriously on its Le Mans bow
Many were quick to dismiss Glickenhaus when the boutique American sportscar firm's entry into the top class of the Le Mans 24 Hours was announced. It's all-new LMH racer, powered by an engine built by a rally specialist, goes in as the underdog against Toyota but the mathematical odds suggest that it has more than just a faint hope of success
The Asian underdog taking on the mighty GT factories at Le Mans
The rising HubAuto team steps up to GTE Pro at Le Mans this year for an ambitious bid to take on the three works giants – and has every reason to be optimistic of achieving its goal in becoming the first privateer on the podium since 2016
How 1971's benchmark Le Mans team lost with the best car
The JW Automotive Engineering team won twice at the Le Mans 24 Hours with ageing Fords and were considered heavy favourites to add more victories to its tally after partnering with Porsche. But despite being armed with the all-conquering 917, this formidable combination was never as successful in real life as on the big screen
Why Argentina’s current great isn’t motivated by emulating Fangio
Having twice missed out on Formula 1 and reinvented himself as a touring car driver, Jose Maria Lopez has had a rocky ride to becoming a four-time world champion. One more would put him level with his nation's favourite son, but there's another prize he would value far more than the honour of matching Juan Manuel Fangio's tally
