There is a chance that Tom Kristensen could miss Le Mans
Picture Courtesy of Audi
After a violent crash in the DTM series, seven time Le Mans winner, Tom Kristensen could be out of the 2007 race.
German motorsport publication – Motorsport Aktuell has reported that the Dane’s injuries are more serious than originally thought. This made him miss the latest round of the DTM Championship and he may not recover in time to test and race in France.
Kristensen suffered a mid range brain trauma which as caused blurred vision and headaches. If Kristensen was unable to make the race, it would be the first time since 1995 that he has missed the race.
Audi have a number of possible replacements. A number of their DTM drivers tested the R10 a few weeks ago. This means that Mattias Ekstrom, Alexandre Primat (who was also injured in the accident with Kristensen, Lucas Luhr and Mike Rockenfellar could step up for Audi. Audi driver Vanina Ickx (and daughter of Le Mans legend Jacky Ickx) also has prototype experience.
The problem also comes as it is likely that three out of the five afore mentioned drivers probably will drive the third Audi and so are already booked. Could this lead to a recall for previous Audi drivers like Philipp Peter and Michael Krumm or could other DTM drivers like Timo Schneider and Christen Abt be called up. Who it will be is only speculation at the moment.
The FMSC View
We hope that Kristensen is fit enough to race. It would be a great shame to see him miss the event. We hope he makes a quick recovery. Failing that, we have no idea who would take the seat. One presumes that should Primat be fit, those four drivers will step up. One to the lead car and the other three to the third car. But time will tell.
Sam Tickell