Henrique Chaves was extremely lucky at the WEC race in Monza: The Portuguese caused the scene of the race and the only safety car phase with his rollover in the first third of the race. He was able to climb out of the TF Sport Aston Martin #33 (Keating/Chaves/Sörensen) on his own.
A subsequent check in the medical center brought no injuries to light. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m fine after the accident,” Chaves said in a video statement after the Monza race weekend.
“I had a few bruises on my knee but other than that it’s fine. I want to thank you for all the messages and all the support you’ve given me. It was special to receive so much support. I’m excited Fuji. I’ve never driven there, but the Aston Martin should be pretty quick there.”
The Portuguese continued: “We want to get the win there that we fought for in Monza. These 25 points will be very important for the championship. Thank you.” However, according to “Sportscar365”, the TF Sport squad is sending an Aston Martin from the ELMS to the 6h of Fuji. The Vantage that was involved in the accident should first be examined at rest.
Chaves’ crash has rekindled the discussion about baguette kerbs on the Internet. His Aston Martin #33 hit one of these sideways after a defect in the variant della Roggia. The result: the Vantage was levered out and rolled over.
Iron Dames claim first women’s pole in WEC history
Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting and Sarah Bovy from the Iron Dames team wrote the other story of the GTE-Am race. The secret stars in the GTE classes achieved history in three respects with their Ferrari entered by Iron Lynx.
That already started in qualifying on Saturday evening. There Bovy drove the 488 GTE Evo #85 of the Iron Dames – and left the assembled male competition behind. It was the first pole position clinched by a woman in the ten-year history of the Endurance World Championship in its current form.
And the Belgian initially proved to be an insurmountable hurdle during her triple stint in the race. She then handed the vehicle over to her professional teammates Gatting and Frey, who ultimately only had to admit defeat to the Dempsey Proton Porsche #77 (Ried/Priaulx/Tincknell).
Best result ever for Iron Lynx Ferrari
With second place, Frey/Gatting/Bovy clinched the first podium finish for an all-female team in the history of the WEC. “The team will never forget this weekend,” said Iron Lynx team boss Andrea Piccini.
“The Iron Dames made history not once, but twice. We’re very proud of that. After Sarah, Michelle and Rahel claimed historic pole for the team yesterday, there was no doubt they had the pace to win.”
“The car was in the lead for most of the race and all three drivers showed their experience and great car management to take the team to an excellent second place.”
Incidentally, Frey/Gatting/Bovy also achieved the best result for the Iron Lynx squad since entering the WEC with second place. The team has only been on the podium once so far: Claudio Schiavoni, Raffaele Giammaria and Paolo Ruberti finished third in their class at the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans.