The scenario of the abandonment of Toyota No. 7

There are just over fourteen hours of racing left in these 24 Hours of Le Mans 2017, and Kamui Kobayashi is at the wheel of the Toyota TS050 Hybrid n°7. Returning to the pits under safety car regime, the Japanese placed his LM P1 prototype at the end of the pitlane waiting for the green light to exit.

As indicated this video, it was then that a driver from the Algarve Pro Racing team, whose orange overalls, like those of the marshals, undoubtedly deceived Kobayashi, came to signal the Japanese driver to take to the track.

The Nippon complies, before being ordered by his box to stop. “We stopped him but after a succession of stops and starts, he burned the clutch which is not made for that. The videos are clear, Pascal Vasselon, technical director of Toyota Gazoo Racing, told us.

Find more information in the special issue of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, available this evening in digital version, and on newsstands this Wednesday.