Scary Rolex 24 wreck sends two drivers to Daytona hospital

Memo Gidley and Matteo Malucelli were taken to the hospital


Two drivers that were involved in a horrific accident in the opening hours of the Rolex 24 at Daytona are awake and alert, following a statement released by IMSA.

Memo Gidley and Matteo Malucelli have both been admitted to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. following a heavy impact that destroyed both cars late in the third hour.

Malucelli’s No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia reported a loss of drive and slowed coming out of the first horseshoe. He was hit in the rear by the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette DP of Gidley, who was going in excess of 120 mph.

The impact sent the Italian’s Ferrari into the air, with extensive front-end damage sustained by the Riley-chassied DP. Gidley was extricated from the car by the local safety team, which cut off the roof of the car.

The race was red-flagged for more than 1 hour as a result, and resumed just past the four hour mark.

IMSA has yet to release further information on the extent of the drivers’ injuries, if any. Stay tuned for the latest developments.

http://t.foxsports.msn.com/nascar/sc...ytona-hospital

Published on Jan 25, 2014

http://youtu.be/BymOht1DVSk

2014 Daytona 24 Rolex Race a violent crash between The No. 62 Ferrari driven by Matteo Malucelli was also involved. Memo Gidley was behind the wheel of the No. 99 machine. bad crash immediately red flag pray for him!
UPDATE: BOTH ARE HOSPITALIZED AND ARE AWAKE AND ALERT

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – A huge crowd and the culmination of months of excitement about the unification of North America's premier sports car racing series was socked in the gut Saturday afternoon when two drivers were involved in a very serious crash at Daytona International Speedway.

Both drivers, Memo Gidley and Matteo Malucelli, were placed on stretchers and taken directly to Daytona's Halifax Hospital. Around 8:45 p.m. ET, race officials announced that both were awake and alert but undergoing further observation. After completing 93 laps in the 52nd Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona on the superspeedway-road course hybrid track, Gidley exited the track's International Horseshoe and collided with Malucelli, whose car had slowed almost to a halt as he seemingly lost power. The crash occurred just before 5 p.m. ET, as the sun was setting over Daytona, which could have obscured Gidley's vision as he pulled out from behind another car to make a pass and slammed into the rear of Malucelli's slowing vehicle.

The impact wedged Gidley's Corvette Daytona Prototype underneath Malucelli's Ferrari F458 Italia, causing substantial damage to both cars. Gidley's car showed serious damage in the left front corner and the driver's cockpit area once it was loaded onto a flatbed truck.

Another Daytona Prototype driver — Brazil’s Christian Fittipaldi — understood how such an incident could happen.

“The conditions were really, really hard as the sun was setting,” said Fittipaldi. “There were two points on the track where you basically couldn’t see anything. One of them was going in to the start/finish and the other point was coming out of Turn 3 and going in to the kink. So I imagine there was a slow car ahead of (Gidley) and he basically couldn’t see nothing at all and he just nailed the car in front of him.”

Gidley was driving the red pole-winning No. 99 entry for GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing while Malucelli was driving the No. 62 for Risi Competizione. The impact caused race officials to immediately stop the race with a red flag as numerous ambulances and safety vehicles descended on the infield scene. Security guards kept nearby fans from getting too close to the scene.

“I definitely feel very sorry for (Gidley) and his team,” Fittipaldi said. “I hope he’s well because when I went by it seemed to be a pretty big one.”

The race resumed some 90 minutes later.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/memo-gi...0947--irl.html

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Memo Gidley suffered a broken back and injuries to his left arm and left leg that required surgery after a horrific two-car crash Saturday less than three hours into the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.

Gidley's spinal fracture is unstable and will require additional surgery, according to a statement released by the International Motor Sports Association on Sunday morning.

Gidley underwent surgical procedures on his left arm and left leg at Halifax Health Medical Center. He continues to be evaluated.

Matteo Malucelli, the other driver involved, was held overnight for evaluation and is resting comfortably.


Both were awake and communicating after being admitted Saturday night after the crash occurred in the sports car endurance race, according to David Hart, IMSA director of communications.


Gidley's No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette DP slammed into the Ferrari driven by Malucelli 94 laps into the 24-hour race on Daytona's infield road course.

Gidley was taken directly to Halifax — located about a mile from the speedway — bypassing the infield care center after rescue workers extricated him from the car. Malucelli, who did not have to be cut from the car, was also transported to Halifax.

The race was red-flagged as rescue workers tended to both drivers, placing them on stretchers then into waiting ambulances. It was the first red flag in the race since 2004, when heavy rain brought the race to a stop.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...crash/4898591/

HOLY $HI+