Over Before it Began for Bryce Miller and Marco Holzer after Multi-Car Crash as the Green Flag Flew
BALTIMORE, Md. (August 31, 2013) – The Paul Miller Racing No. 48 Chopard/TOTAL Porsche 911 GT3 RSR was among the eliminated entries before the Baltimore Grand Prix barely began Saturday, the victim of a multi-car accident just seconds after the race start on the 2.02-mile Inner Harbor road course.
Bryce Miller was at the wheel of the No. 48 Chopard/TOTAL Porsche 911 GT3 RSR that sustained multiple hits in the chain-reaction accident.
“It wasn’t really clear what was happening ahead because where this pile up initiated was a few rows yet in front of me,” Miller said. “Everybody came to a screeching stop and that is about as much as I knew before going to the monitor after. I spoke to some of the other drivers and it is pretty much all of the same. Somebody spun Scott Tucker around, pitched him sideways going down the straightaway, and there was just nowhere for anybody to go.”
The No. 48 was hit at least five times, including in the rear end and driver-side door, and sustained front-end damage after being knocked into the cars ahead. The accident involved a full 1/3 of the starting field and eliminated five cars, including all three GT-class Porsches. Miller’s teammate Marco Holzer never had a chance to drive in Saturday’s race.
“We were all standing on the brakes and everyone from behind was just ramming in,” Miller said. “I started in on the brakes pretty hard and everybody in front of me started braking down. I got tagged from behind, then spun sideways, and then the same car rammed me in the door again, a second time, and then a third, a fourth and a fifth time as everyone piled into the back of him.”
The disappointing race result didn’t tarnish what was an otherwise uplifting day as Paul Miller Racing hosted several members of our nation’s armed services through the Full Circle Home Wounded Warriors program. An American non-profit organization whose goal is to support the special women of our armed service members during their separation from loved ones deployed overseas, Full Circle Home has also been assisting Wounded Warriors since May of 2012.
“It was a tough day, a challenging weekend in all really, but seeing the sacrifices made by these brave service members certainly keeps it all in perspective,” Miller said. “We were honored to have them here with us today, they are welcome back any time, and we look forward to building our new relationship with Full Circle Home.”
Despite the poor race result, the No. 48 Chopard/TOTAL Porsche should remain the top-ranked single-car and privateer team in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) GT Team Championship standings. While the factory-backed and two-car Corvette, BMW and Viper teams remain in the top three, Paul Miller Racing will likely continue to be in fourth position when the Baltimore post-race point standings are issued.
