The 41-year-old Scot crashed his Audi R18 less than an hour into the race as he closed in on Anthony Beltoise’s Ferrari. As McNish, who shared the car with Tom Kristensen and Rinaldo Capello, passed Beltoise, the two cars collided at about 120mph and the Audi flipped into the air and disintegrated after smashing into the barriers.
McNish walked unaided from the wreckage and was given the all-clear following a precautionary scan at a local hospital. “Watching a replay of the accident was worse than sitting there in the car while it actually happened,” McNish said.
“When I saw the ferocity, it made me very thankful that the car was strong, and the guys that designed it did a very good job.
“I was banged around a little bit. I have a pain at the bottom of my back and a grazed shin, but considering the impact, the speed and everything else, we all got away quite fortunate.
“It was probably more emotional for my wife, Kelly. She didn’t know how I was and the radio had broken.
Ouch!! Incredible how McNish walked away from that, but also amazing that no-one else was injured through flying wreckage/tyres....
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