A sudden collision behind the safety car at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen saw Roman De Angelis smash into Colin Braun’s #60 Acura ARX‑06 and pull Henrik Hedman’s #81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R into the wall, snubbing the weekend for several teams.
Safety‑car pause sets off a pit‑lane chain reaction
Louis Deletraz of Wayne Taylor Racing clipped trackside signage about 40 minutes into the event, sparking a full caution. All running cars immediately dropped into the pits, and Meyer Shank Racing’s #60 Acura switched from Tom Blomqvist, who had started on pole, to Colin Braun for a swift stop.
Despite the fastest possible service, the Acura suffered a slow stop and fell back. The team chose to re‑enter pit lane to top off as other contenders, including Roman De Angelis of Aston Martin THOR Team’s #23 Valkyrie, did the same.
A jam in the perilous Esses
On re‑entry the back of the field was bottlenecked at the top of the Esses, just past Turn 4. Braun attempted to stall, while Hedman followed suit and pulled left to avoid the congestion.
De Angelis, unaware of the cluster and told to pass around GTs and LMP2s, collided with the rear of Braun’s Acura, and the impact carried the Corvette into the inside wall.
Immediate aftermath and damage
Hedman spun head‑first against the wall, separated from the track by a line of wreckage. Braun and De Angelis ended up fused mid‑track amid scattered debris, while no other cars were forced out of the action.
The collision left the Acura finished a lap behind, and the Vallyrie’s race reduced to a caution‑only stop, with both teams now needing to reassess weekend plans.
Candid reactions from the drivers
Roman De Angelis apologized, saying he had not seen the stalled pack and was urged “to pass around” by his crew. “I was told to pass the GTs and LMP2s… I didn’t notice the cars stop at the top of the hill,” he explained.
Colin Braun noted the support of spotter Steve Welk, who had told him of the traffic. He expressed regret: “I feel bad for Roman, and it was a tough day for the Acura crew.”
Henrik Hedman criticized the Aston Martin team for lacking a spotter, claiming “there is no spotter, and I couldn’t foresee the speed at which Roman came.” He added, “If there had been a spotter, I might not have been pushed into the wall.”
All three drivers remarked this dropped a single punch line for each team, shaping their immediate race strategy when the accident burst through the calm under caution.
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