Racing drivers count on their brakes at least as much as roadway drivers do. But something appeared to have gone wrong for Sheena Monk.
The racer made her debut this weekend driving a Lamborghini Huracan in the Super Trofeo race at Laguna Seca, but things didn’t go exactly as planned. Coming out of the notorious Corscrew turn complex, Monk went right off the track at what looks like full speed, gliding straight through the gravel trap and slamming nose-first into the tire barrier.
As you can see from the video below, the car went airborne and flipped end over end. According to Motor1, Monk was evacuated to a local hospital and was described by the IMSA as being “awake and alert” and “in stable condition.”
It might appear that the brakes malfunctioned somehow, but Lamborghini says otherwise. “Upon initial analysis of the car data following the accident, all of the operating systems were found to be functioning appropriately,” said the Italian automaker, “as did the car’s safety systems during, and after, impact.”
Monk is surely even more glad than we are for the latter bit, as a less extensively reinforced vehicle might not have withstood the impact as well the Huracan’s carbon-fiber monocoque.
The Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo is a single-make spec racing series, similar to Ferrari’s Challenge or the numerous Porsche Supercup series that take place around the world each year – only with grids made up entirely of specially prepared Huracans. Several regional championships take place each year: in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, with a World Final held at the end of the season.