Crash puts UAE's Jannarelly-PureDrive team out of Pikes Peak event

The modified Jannarelly Design-1 sports car was due to be the race's official safety car

An development version of the Jannarelly-PureDrive official safety car, near the Jannarelly factory in Al Jadaf, Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National

Today, a UAE-built sports car was due to lead the field as the official safety car for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, one of the oldest motorsport events in the United States – but an accident has put paid to the Jannarelly-PureDrive team's plans.

“At approximately 8pm on June 21, one of our team members unfortunately lost control and had an off-course accident in the US road-registered version of the Jannarelly Design-1 OSC [official safety car],” the team revealed late on Saturday night via Instagram.

The driver thankfully walked away with only minor injuries, something that the team say is “testament to the safety-conscious design of the vehicle”, but the accident, which is still under investigation, means that the Jannarelly will be unable to take its place as the official safety car.

As The National previously reported, the team had hoped to return to Pikes Peak next year to compete in the historic event in a Jannarelly, the two-seater sports car conceived by Dubai-based automotive designer Anthony Jannarelly.

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