DENVER, N.C. (February 18, 2016) - Two-time and defending IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar prototype champion João Barbosa is recuperating after sustaining a minor fracture in his left wrist on Monday. The injury was sustained in a non-racing incident in Ormond Beach.

 

Barbosa was demonstrating to his two sons how to operate their hoverboards inside the family's Ormond Beach residence, when Speed, the family dog, interrupted the presentation. The defending Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring champion used his quick-reaction racer reflexes and took evasive action to miss the ecstatic Yorkie. The Barbosa family is happy to announce that Speed was unharmed in the incident.

 

"It's unfortunate that I'm not going to be able to test our No. 5 Mustang Sampling Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype at Sebring International Raceway next week," said the Portuguese driver. "Fortunately for me I've got the best race team with Action Express Racing and excellent co-drivers with Christian (Fittipaldi) and Filipe (Albuquerque). I'll be there to share in each debrief session and review the data with the team; it'll be a terrific opportunity to mentally prepare for the challenge of 12 hours.

 

"My wife is tremendously talented and artistically gifted, she's already helped to brand my cast with the Mustang Sampling logo, and after my demonstration our kids now fully understand that the hoverboards are best used outside, and not around Speed."

 

Conveniently, the family was already scheduled to meet Wednesday with the orthopedic specialist to have the cast removed from Barbosa's oldest son Rodrigo's arm. To which the elder Barbosa replied: "It saved us one trip that way, we already had the doctor so we got one cast removed and one added."

 

The IMSA champion is scheduled to have his cast removed prior to the 64th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and will be a full-go for the team, who are seeking a second consecutive victory in North America's longest running endurance competition.