During the final practice session for IMSA’s season opener on Friday morning, Clément Novalak experienced a pit lane incident that resulted in a leg and hip injury.
While the injuries were confirmed as non-serious, they were significant enough to force the French driver to sit out the rest of the event. In response, Pietro Fittipaldi will step in to join Nick Boulle, Jakub Śmiechowski, and Tom Dillmann in the team’s No. 52 entry, competing in the LMP2 category.
Fittipaldi, set to compete full-time in the 2024 IndyCar Series with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, brings prior experience with Inter Europol Competition to the team. In 2022, he drove the ORECA 07 in the European Le Mans Series, delivering an impressive podium finish at Spa-Francorchamps despite starting from the back of the field.
Expressing his sentiments on the situation, Fittipaldi acknowledged the unfortunate circumstances for the team and Novalak, emphasizing their diligent preparation for the Daytona 24 Hours.
Having received a last-minute call to join the team at Daytona, Fittipaldi, familiar with the car and having participated in the 24-hour race the previous year, is eager to tackle the challenge and contribute his best to the team.
Despite the team’s second-place qualifying position in class, a driver change mandates starting from the rear of the LMP2 grid, in accordance with IMSA SportsCar Championship rules. Nick Boulle will take the wheel for the race start scheduled for Saturday at 1:40 pm ET.
