Bouchut and Level 5 unlucky at Spa

One month before 24 Hours of Le Mans and two weeks after a test day rich in lessons, Level 5 Motorsports was keen to shine in the Belgian Ardennes, and to gain confidence for the double round of the clock in Sarthe. Unfortunately, a mechanical break at the right rear wheel of the No. 11 Lola B80/33 HPD sent Christophe Bouchut violently into the tire wall on the steep slope (see video), ending the race of the trio that the Frenchman composes with boss Scott Tucker and Joao Barbosa.

“This is a hyper-technical corner because we are in a succession of curves, in full acceleration and especially in sixth gear? therefore at very high speed, explains Bouchut. By the time the car pulled out, there was nothing more to do and I was just a passenger. I knew full well that the impact with the protective wall was going to be hard. »

Fortunately, the winner of the 24 1993 Hours of Le Mans escaped without injury.

“We cannot say with certainty the cause of the mechanical breakdown, concedes team director David Stone. We will take the time to study the damaged car to determine the cause. A similar failure happened at Sebring, so it will be important for us to look into the problem seriously, because we will not put the lives of the pilots in danger before having resolved and restored the situation.

Shortly after, Pecom Racing's Lola B11/40 appeared to suffer the same problem, and the team decided to withdraw as a precaution.

For Level 5 Motorsports, this accident in no way calls into question participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Scott Tucker having a second Lola B11/80 chassis already in Europe, and who had also taken part in the day test. The American team now has four weeks left to continue its preparation.

Discover in your AUTOhebdo magazine, on newsstands tomorrow, a complete analysis of the 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps by our special correspondents in Belgium.