James Calado explains incident in formation lap

It is often said that the 24 Hours of Le Mans are never finished before crossing the checkered flag. But in some cases, they start even before departure. This is the case this year for James Calado at the wheel of the Ferrari 488 GTE Evo #51 since it hit Tommy Milner's #64 Corvette... on the formation lap!

“At first it was raining and when the car is stopped, the air conditioning inside the cabin does not work properly, says James Calado. There was fog all over the windshield and I couldn't see anything at all. I tried to do my best to clear the situation by cleaning the windshield with my gloves but lo and behold I hit the Corvette because I had no vision during the formation lap. I'm really sorry for what happened but I was flying blind at the time." 

On the side of the American manufacturer, it's all grimacing. The #63 Corvette finished in last position in the GTE Pro category, helped by a collision on the formation lap then by a problem with the gearbox during the night, immobilizing it for 70 minutes.

“It’s definitely a frustrating race for us, explains Milner. We did not lose the race because of the incident on the formation lap but it will have handicapped us throughout the race. The troubles just kept coming. We were unlucky. I remain proud of the whole team and in the end we have a car on the podium with the #63. It was a great experience and I hope we come back even stronger next year! ".

Note that Ferrari dominated the two GT categories since in addition to the victory in the GTE Pro category with the AF Corse #51, the Italian firm also triumphed in GTE Am with the AF Corse #83 composed of François Perrodo, Nicklas Nielsen and Alessio Rovera, already victorious in the 24 Hours of Spa this year.

A little more than 70 mins later, the 64 #Corvette is back out with a fresh clutch and @AlexanderSims at the wheel #NeverGiveUp # LeMans24 pic.twitter.com/3cslMTxtYZ

— Corvette Racing (@CorvetteRacing) August 22