6 HOURS OF MEXICO

After yesterday’s Qualifying, Car 44 started from P5 of the LM P2 class for the 6 hours of Mexico with Richard driving first. Richard made a good start but there were lots of battles in the first lap which resulted in him coming around in P7 after lap one. Some time was lost after Richard had contact with the barriers at turn 12 whilst fighting for position with another car.

A full course yellow was issued to clear debris from the track and the team took the opportunity to change drivers with Picho Toledano taking over. Picho was driving a good stint, but just before the two hour mark the team noticed problems with the engine’s water pressure which resulted in the car coming into the pits for further investigation. The team found a solution but by the time the car returned to track it was running P10 in class. The afternoon didn’t get any easier when the problem returned an hour later and again the team had to pit the car for further work.

After a very solid stint by Matt under tricky conditions and a drying track, the car pitted for a full service stop including driver change to Richard. Richard continued closing the gap to the cars in front and his times kept improving until, with 25 minutes remaining, the car suffered another brake failure which left the team no option but to retire the car.

Graeme Lowdon, President and Sporting Director

“I am disappointed with the result of the race today. We have showed great pace all weekend so it was difficult to have problems impact our race to such an extent. It’s too early to tell if the cooling problem was as a result of damage incurred when Richard was tipped into the barriers early in the race but the end result cost us badly. The brake failure towards the end of the race was particularly concerning and such failures have now cost the team badly. The team have worked really well all weekend and it has been fantastic to have so much support from the Mexican fans.”

Picho Toledano, Driver

“For my debut into the LMP2 championship I couldn’t have asked for a better experience, even though we have had issues with the car we know that this is racing, the most important thing is that I have gained a lot of experience about the car and championship. After a 9 year break from international racing it felt really good to be back and I know it is where I want to be now. I am very thankful to the whole team for making this debut as easy as possible. I really want to thank Mas negocio, Kio, Unifin and Interproteccion for their great support and for trusting in me. It was amazing to race at my home race in front of my fans and family.”

Richard Bradley, Driver

“It was a tough race, since the beginning of the race it has been difficult to manage our issues. I am happy that when we did go out at the end on the slicks we were very competitive and showing good pace. The team have done a good job all weekend. Hopefully we can sort the problems before Austin and have a good race there.”

Matt Rao, Driver

“Obviously I am disappointed that we have suffered these problems at this race because the car clearly had speed, both myself and Richard showed that we could fight at the front in all conditions. I am happy with the pace I showed in the difficult changing conditions. Hopefully we will can get rid of these gremlins by Austin and show our true potential.”

Ends