Coughton's Alexander Sims escapes high-speed crash at 24 Hours of Le Mans unscathed

ALEXANDER Sims was thankful to escape a high-speed collision during the 24 Hours of Le Mans without injury.

The Coughton racer was in the No. 64 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R and fighting to regain the class lead in the GTE Pro category just before the 18-hour mark when an LMP2 competitor moved into him on the Mulsanne straight.

The contact pitched the car hard left into the guardrail nose-first. Sims exited the C8.R unassisted and was fine upon his return to the paddock.

The 34-year-old, along with team-mates Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy, took turns leading in the pole-winning Corvette. Sims had earlier set the fastest GTE Pro lap of the race.

Sims said on Twitter afterwards: “So Le Mans was eventful as always and despite the early end, I am so proud to have been a part of the Corvette Racing effort.

“The car was so fast and a sheer pleasure to drive. [It’s a] shame that the GTE Pro era is over at Le Mans.

“Le Mans always holds surprises and unfortunately this was the biggest one I’ve had for a while.

“I sincerely believe it was a mistake and I hold no grudges. We are all human and it’s just part of the game we play.

“[I am] just glad that I walked away without as much as a bruise.

“[It was] amazing to share the car again with Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy who did such a great job to help get us back into the race after an early setback with brakes.”

Only moments before Sims’s crash, Corvette Racing had retired the No. 63 C8.R due to significant mechanical damage – seen and unseen – at the rear of the car. It was unclear if this was a continuation from an earlier suspension issue in the race’s first six hours.

Every effort was made to get the car back into the race, but due to safety concerns for the team’s drivers and fellow competitors, the decision was made to retire.