Oops.
The green flag for Duel 2 of IndyCar's Detroit Grand Prix was delayed Sunday when the Corvette ZR1 pace car, driven by a General Motors vice president, lost control out of a turn at the start of its first lap and struck the wall at the Raceway on Belle Isle.
Debris from the car — valued at around $123,000, according to the Indianapolis Star — was scattered on the track just after Turn 2. Cleanup and the change to a backup car resulted in a delay from the scheduled 3:50 p.m. ET starting time.
The driver was GM executive VP Mark Reuss, who got out of the car to assess the damage. IndyCar official Mark Sandy was in the passenger seat where the airbag deployed because of the force of the impact. According to IndyCar, both were taken to the infield care center where they were checked and cleared.
Sunday's race runner-up and IndyCar Series points leader Will Power told the Star that the turn that fooled Reuss is particularly tricky, and an accident like the one that occurred could've happened to almost anyone.
"I felt really bad for whoever was in the pace car," Power said after finishing second to Ryan Hunter-Reay. "It's very easy to do as you go over that crest, and the traction control must have been turned off. So yeah, I felt — it wasn't really his fault. It's just such a bad corner. Like it's very easy to do."
In a statement, Chevrolet said, "It is unfortunate that this incident happened. Many factors contributed, including weather and track conditions. The car’s safety systems performed as expected."
The Star reported that Reuss, who is trained and certified to drive high-performance cars such as the ZR1, has piloted the pace car on the streets of Belle Isle on multiple occasions without incident.
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