‘Official Safety Car’ of Pikes Peak International Hill Climb crashes

A special street-legal car that was set to make a demonstration run through the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was sidelined Thursday night during a regular drive through Colorado Springs.

According to a news release from the Hill Climb, the Jannarelly vehicle was damaged but the driver was treated and released. No other vehicles were involved. Details of the crash itself haven’t been made available. ( PHOTOS )

But while the car sported the label “Official Safety Car” on its livery, Hill Climb officials say their official safety trucks and trained safety team will be “in full force” during the race Sunday. The Jannarelly car was originally set to make a demo run between the Motorcycle and Auto events.

The Jannarelly-PureDrive vehicle would have been the first by a United Arab Emirates-based company to take part in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The damaged car was a specially modified version of Jannarelly’s Design-1 Sportscar. It sports over 300 brake horsepower while weighing less than a ton.