WEC – Guillaume Moreau is back home

Guillaume Moreau was to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2012 with Bertrand Baguette and Dominik Kraihamer, but an accident during the Test Day of the 24 Hours of Le Mans injured his spinal cord and he was finally replaced by Franck Montagny for the double-clock race in Sarthe. The state of health of the driver of the Oak-Pescarolo n°15 was particularly worrying, but his rehabilitation is progressing favorably since he was able to return home to Limousin. He will remain followed at the Limoges University Hospital to begin his new recovery phase. The teammate of Bertrand Baguette and Dominik Kraihamer spent two and a half months at the specialized L'Arche center in Le Mans before being able to return to his native region and is waiting to know his future, which should be decided by the end of the year.

“When I find that I am not progressing quickly enough, that I feel that I have reached a plateau, I remember the diagnosis when I arrived at the hospital and this future in a wheelchair that was predicted for me”, declares Guillaume Moreau. “Two and a half months later, I'm walking, and it's a first miracle. The objective of the surgeon, Doctor Lucas who operated on me in Angers, was to give me the possibility of getting back into a seat. I have to do a new assessment in December. A first verdict will be reached at that time. I know that the road is still long and uncertain, but I have the same objective as the surgeon. An accident like mine makes you think a lot and raises awareness in particular of safety issues in racing, which unfortunately progresses mainly through this type of event, but the passion is still there. I still follow my Oak Racing team very closely and we have constant discussions. »

Jacques Nicolet, owner of the French team and driver of the Morgan-Judd No. 24 alongside Olivier Pla and Mathieu Lahaye, is keen to highlight the combativeness of Guillaume Moreau. “I am very happy that the quality of the care he received and his temperament as a high-level sportsman have enabled Guillaume to shorten his stays in Angers and Le Mans and that he returns as quickly as possible to his Limousin which is so important to him. He will thus find on a daily basis his emotional and sporting environment favorable to his recovery. I also have great admiration and great confidence in his fighting temperament. He is in life as well as on the track. From the beginning he never ceased to surprise us, including the nursing staff who had to make an effort to adapt to the wishes of this extraordinary patient who had to be forced to rest! He has proven that competition does not only take place on the track and his current results show that anything remains possible for him. This is for Guillaume the most important endurance test of his life and I know that in any case we will continue to be a team. »