Twitter / petete3mil / Pictured: the accident at the Portimao circuit
The serious accident occurred while preparing for the 6 Hours of Portimao. Just before practice for the WEC World Endurance Championship could begin, a car driven by Alex Ariya crashed into the stands.
On Friday, preparations for the next round of the World Endurance Championship began in Portugal. The Portimao 6 Hours race is scheduled for next Sunday. Robert Kubica’s team did well in the morning practice session. The Belgian WRT crew finished fifth in the LMP2 class.
The drivers competing in the WEC went for a lunch break and briefing the engineers, and the drivers competing in the Porsche Sprint Iberica Challenge took to the track. Then there was a serious fall. Alex Arria, who was driving a Porsche 911 GT3, lost control of the car at the first corner and crashed into the stands.
A video circulating on social media shows Ariya’s car crashing into a security fence before landing in the stands. Fortunately, few fans were present for Friday’s practice before 6 o’clock from Portimao, so no one was hurt.
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Aria came out of the accident unscathed. However, the Porsche Sprint Challenge Iberica training had to be interrupted with a red flag. The security guards had to fix the security fence. The plastic seats in the stands were also damaged, but they will be replaced at a later date.
Thanks to the efficient work of the track officials in Portimao, the second WEC practice was held as planned. This is important information for Kubica and the other drivers, as their preparations for Sunday’s race have not been affected.
The Algarve circuit near Portimao was opened in 2008. Since then, it has been modernized several times, and in 2020 the surface was replaced for the last time. Recently, MotoGP and Formula 1 races have been staged. The facility is known for its large elevation changes, which can make it too dangerous for some competitors.
The Portimao 6h race will start on Sunday at 13.00. Live text coverage at WP SportoweFakty.
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