After violent crash and successful surgery: Panebianco set to fight back
Alberto Panebianco crashed heavily into the tire pile during Saturday’s EuroNASCAR 2 race in Italy – An injury to his hand required surgery
Motorsport is dangerous, this is not only written on every race track ticket, but is also shown time and again in violent accidents. Alberto Panebianco experienced such a crash during the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (NWES) at the Autodromo di Vallelunga. On Saturday, the Italian crashed heavily into a wall in the EuroNASCAR 2 race, injuring his hand. Surgery was the result, but the Not Only Motorsport driver is already looking to bounce back in Most.
Panebianco will use the summer break to recover and recover properly. He suffered the thumb injury because he didn’t get his hand off the steering wheel fast enough when he hit the track barrier. The NWES cars once again proved to be very safe and the medical attention at the Autodromo di Vallelunga was also impeccable, according to Panebianco.
“I was stuck behind the #24 of Christian Malcharek and the #69 of Melvin de Groot when my brakes stopped working in the Semaforo hairpin,” he said, describing the situation. “Unfortunately, there’s not much room there to avoid an impact, so it was immediately clear to me that I was going to crash into the wall. The only questions I had were where, how fast and at what angle?” Taking the corner was not an option for him, as he would have hit Malcharek otherwise.
“So I went left because the wall is a little further back and I had a better chance to reduce the speed of my car.” Panebianco also turned the car sideways to avoid hitting the wall head-on. In the process, the Not-Only Motorsport driver failed to take his hands off the steering wheel, causing the Italian to injure his finger.
During the x-ray at the track and the follow-up examination in a hospital in Rome, the suspicion of a hand injury was confirmed: “I broke my finger and that’s why the doctors refused to clear me for the race on Sunday. They were super nice and well prepared,” Panebianco said of the first aid he received at the track. He then underwent surgery at home. A screw now stabilizes the ligament and the bone in his hand.
But there is still no talk of an end to the season. Panebianco wants to return to the wheel of his #89 Chevrolet Camaro as early as the next NWES round in Most, Czech Republic, on September 3 and 4. “You will see me in the car in Most, that’s a promise,” stresses the Italian, who is already working on being fit again for the next race. He was particularly pleased with the support of the fans, friends, family and team members who cheered him up when he was condemned to watch on Sunday.
