Somebody needs to tell the driver of The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb’s flashy new “safety car” that the race hasn’t started yet.

The specially designed Jannelly high performance sports car was damaged after its driver lost control and ran off the road while trying to pass another vehicle at 80 or 90 mph, according to a witness, near the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on Thursday.

The crash happened on eastbound Lake Avenue west of Colorado 115 about 7:50 p.m., said Colorado Springs Police Sgt. John Koch. The driver, who was cited for careless driving, was treated and released after he complained of injuries.

Koch didn’t know if the car was speeding when it crashed, but police do not believe he was impaired or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The name of the driver was not released.

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb said in a Friday statement that the vehicle was damaged and would not be in Sunday’s race.

“The car’s role in the event was to make a demonstration run between the motorcycle program and the car program,” the statement said. “Our Official Safety Trucks and trained safety teams, along with a host of first responders and law enforcement agencies, will be in full force on the mountain this Sunday, able to respond to any and all emergencies should they arise.”

According to a post on the event website, the sleek, black car was customized for the race by a Dubai-based automotive company Jannarelly. The “Design-1” model retails for about $90,000 and is produced in limited numbers, the post says.

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Executive Director Megan Leatham declined in an email to comment further.

Woodland Park resident Josh Cones, who was driving his family home after leaving the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, said he had to swerve onto the median while on eastbound Lake Avenue to avoid being hit by the sports car after the driver lost control.

Cones was driving his SUV in the left lane when heard the car’s motor as it approached from behind. He estimated that the car covered a distance of 200 or 300 feet in just seconds.

“He dropped gears and just floored it,” said Cones, 30, who was driving with his wife and three young children. “We were doing probably the speed limit and he was coming up at us at 80, 90 miles per hour. He was looking to fly past us.”

Cones said he saw the driver reach for his hat — he guessed to keep it from flying off — as he tried to merge into the right lane to pass.

That’s when he spun out, Cones said.

“His tires caught — I’m guessing they caught that traction— and shot him right off into the trees,” he said.

Cones said he stopped to make sure the driver was OK and helped him out of the car, which came to a stop about 100 feet into the woods after catching a few cottonwood trees and missing a utility pole “by inches.” He also checked the car for smoke or gas.

He added that he was a car enthusiast and was excited to see the vehicle, which he and his wife later researched online.

“There was a lot of money put into that car,” he said.

According to Jannarelly’s website, the car is a two-seat roadster with “a tubular chassis and a 6-cylinder Nissan engine in the rear.” The Design-1, which the company bills as a “supercar” has a power-to-weight ratio of about 310 horsepower for roughly 1,800 pounds, the website says. The first prototype of the 1960s-inspired car debuted in 2016 in Dubai, according to a past news release from the company.