Dakar Rally News: Habsburg Targeting Spa WEC Return After Testing Accident
The Alpine LMDh team is expecting good news this week regarding Ferdinand Habsburg’s return to the #35 car for the upcoming Spa 6 Hours round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) on May 11th.
According to Signatech squad boss Philippe Sinault, who runs the factory Alpine entries, the Austrian driver is on track to retake his place alongside Charles Milesi and Paul-Loup Chatin after missing the Imola WEC race due to a testing accident.
“We are expecting good news from Ferdy this week,” Sinault revealed. “We hope he can be with us as soon as possible. His environment, the personal one and the medical one also, is very good.”
While the entry list for Spa is set to be published this week, Sinault suggested a decision on Habsburg’s participation could come even sooner. “We will have a clearer view at the end of this week,” he stated.
The 25-year-old is still awaiting final sign-off from his doctors to return to racing after fracturing two lumbar vertebrae in a testing incident at MotorLand Aragon in late March. Sinault confirmed the accident was due to a technical issue with the car, not driver error.
“Everything is under control; we have worked very hard after this accident, but now it is okay,” Sinault reassured. He also revealed the solo Alpine A424 LMDh present at Aragon had already completed 26 of the planned 30 hours of testing, despite the incident.
With no expectation that Habsburg will be ready for the Paul Ricard round of the European Le Mans Series a week before Spa, the focus remains on his potential return to the #35 Alpine at the Belgian WEC event. Fans and the team alike will be eagerly awaiting the news on his recovery progress in the coming days.
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