Theeba Motorsport was forced to retire from the second part of the International GT Open’s visit to the Red Bull Ring following a collision during a late Safety Car restart.

The team approached Race Two at the Austrian venue with high aspirations after scoring its fourth class victory of the 2022 season in Race One. 

Driver, Adam Christodoulou, qualified eighth forthe race and maintained this position throughout his 36-minute stint, which was briefly paused by a spin for the #91 Baron Motorsport Ferrari.

He handed the car over to team-mate, Reema Juffali, who rejoined the race in 13th after serving a success penalty during her pitstop, 24 minutes from the finish.

Upon taking to the track, Reema quickly dispatched of Dominik Schraml for 12th and moved up to 11th when the #777 Olimp Racing Audi of Marcin Jedlinski crashed in Turn Four.

This caused the Safety Car to return to the track and a late restart left a 12-minute sprint to the chequered flag.

With a strong getaway, Reema was on the verge of returning to the top 10 but was rear-ended by Schraml in Turn One to sustain terminal damage and retire as a result. 

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In Their Words

Reema Juffali, Founder & Driver, Theeba Motorsport

“I’m frustrated that our race ended in this way today. With the success penalty, we knew that it was important to qualify well, and Adam did well to put the car on the fourth row. He drove a great first stint and I managed to make up some ground after the pitstop. I think the Safety Car was going to play to our advantage, but then I was completely wiped out by the #15 Mercedes on the restart and that ended our race. It’s a big shame after the race we had yesterday. This one hurts.” 

Adam Christodoulou, Driver, Theeba Motorsport

“It’s a shame for our race to end like this. The car felt good in qualifying, and I think our pace during the first stint was very promising. The highs and lows of this weekend just show how unpredictable motorsport can be, but I know that we’ll make a fighting return.”