The No. 31 Action Express Cadillac DPi-V.R will need new Dallara chassis following a heavy crash at the Long Beach Grand Prix two weeks ago.
Dane Cameron hit the wall hard with 30 minutes to go during the Bubba Burger Sportscar Grand Prix from Long Beach. Cameron had run wide after clipping the inside wall and made contact with the outside wall, moving the concrete barrier.
The crash damaged the carbon-fiber Dallara chassis along with the left side steering components on the new-for-2017 prototype racecar. AXR team manager Gary Nelson told Racer the team has sent the damaged chassis to Dallara and hoping the manufacturer will be able to repair it so it can be used as the team’s spare chassis going forward.
“We took the 31 car apart and quickly got the tub up to Dallara to inspect,” Nelson told Racer. “They still had some measurements to make, but most of the conversation standing around the tub with Dallara was that the damage doesn’t look too bad. If all indications prove true, it will be repaired and become our spare tub so we don’t miss a beat. That’s our hopeful path we’re gonna be on.”
“The big difference in the carbon monocoque versus the steel tube (of the Corvette DP) is cost,” Nelson added. “It’s one thing if we’re throwing away a $25,000 DP chassis. If you have the same wreck in a [carbon] car, you don’t want to be throwing away a [tub] that costs several times that amount.”
The next race for AXR and the rest of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportcar Challenge will be the Advance Auto Parts Sportscar Showdown from Circuit of the Americas. The teams also take to the track today for a 45-minue test session at the Austin-Texas based circuit.
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