A large crash at the Rolex 24 at Daytona International in Florida sent two drivers to the hospital.
The drivers-Memo Gidley and Matteo Malucelli--were taken to the Halifax Medical Center.
The News-Journal reported that the race was quickly stopped after the crash.
There was major damage to both vehicles.
Gidley and Malucelli taken to hospital after crash
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Memo Gidley and Matteo Malucelli were transported to a hospital following a two-car accident right before the three-hour mark of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Gidley, driving for the pole-winning GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing team, had to be cut out of the No. 99 Corvette.
The accident occurred when Gidley plowed into the slower Ferrari, from the GT Le Mans class, driven by Malucelli. The cars were heading into the kink in the infield portion of DaytonaInternational Speedway and driving into the glare of the sun.
Malucelli’s car had lost power — he was definitely off the pace — and his team said he radioed he was pulling out of the way as the cars headed into a high-speed turn.
The race was red-flagged as emergency workers tended to both drivers. They were placed onto stretchers, loaded into waiting ambulances and taken directly to Halifax Health Medical Center, located roughly about a mile outside the race track.
“This stuff, it happens, it’s racing. But you never expect it to be your car, your team,” said Gidley teammate Darren Law. “We were running good. But the biggest concern is that Memo is OK. They haven’t given us a whole lot of indication of what’s going on other than they are taking him to the hospital.”
Olivier Beretta, Malucelli’s teammate on the Risi Competizione team, saw a replay of the accident and wondered if the glare played a role in the wreck.
“It’s difficult to say because it’s the sun going down, and in this corner you don’t see very well,” Beretta said. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. The most important thing right now is Matteo, the rest I don’t care. It’s just Matteo and the other driver.”
