Larbre had a common Le Mans story - had the pace but not the luck
8 Hours
19 Hours
Finish
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8 Hours
Rear wheel drama costs Larbre an hour
The Larbre Competition Saleen S7R suffered a difficult start to the Le Mans 24 Hours after losing a wheel three hours into the race.
The left rear wheel detached as Christophe Bouchut braked for Tertre Rouge and pitched him off the track and deep into a gravel trap. After being hauled out by a service vehicle, Bouchut limped back to the pits for repairs.
The team had to replace the transmission, brakes and suspension and also lost time removing a considerable amount of gravel from the American built car. Despite a superb job by the mechanics, around one hour was lost in total, and the #50 car plummeted down the order to 45th overall and ninth in class.
Bouchut started the race from second on the grid, but couldn't compete with the works Corvettes and Aston Martins straight line speed during his double stint. Patrick Bornhauser and David Hallyday then did a single stint each in the car, before the problem with the wheel occurred on Bouchut's out lap upon his return to the cockpit.
Bouchut said: "The car just snapped sideways into the gravel and I knew I was in trouble when my rear wheel overtook me and crashed into the door! It was impossible to compete with the works cars at the start and the slower LMP2s caused me a lot of problems. The leading GT1 cars are quicker than some of the gentlemen drivers in LMP2, but it's hard to pass them as they don't always concentrate! The car seems to be running fine again now, but obviously we've lost a lot of time."
Bornhauser, who returned to the car after six hours said: "We lost a lot of time in the pits, but it was necessary as there were so many stones in the car and they could cause a lot of damage if they're not cleared properly."
19 Hours
Larbre Competition -- Le Mans 24 Hours, 19 hour report
Larbre Competition has moved steadily up the field at the Le Mans 24 Hours after problems early in the race cost them one hour in the pits.
As the race enters its 19th hour, the team's Saleen S7R has run without incident during the night and early morning and currently sits in 30th position overall and 7th in the GT1 category.
The heavens opened at 4:15am to make track conditions treacherous, and steady rainfall throughout the morning has meant the circuit remains slippery leaving the drivers unable to push too hard.
Despite this, Patrick Bornhauser, David Hallyday and Christophe Bouchut have all driven error-free stints and maintain a strong pace which has seen them move ahead of the Team Modena Aston Martin DBR9 which has suffered problems in the pits.
David Hallyday: "The car is running perfectly at the moment, but the track conditions are very tricky. When I began my stint they were ok, but after 15 minutes more rain fell and things got a lot worse. All the chicanes are very slippery and so it's difficult to judge exactly what you should do and how hard to push. Thankfully the Saleen is pretty good in the wet and doesn't get out of shape too much, and that's a relief in this weather."
Christophe Bouchut: "I had no problem during my stint, but I am not pushing at all. The only target now is to bring back the car in one piece so we can finish the race. The fact is that we are going to pay the price for yesterday's problem as the car has started to have a bad vibration and I strongly suspect a transmission problem. Whether it's dry or wet doesn't really matter for us as we are a long way behind everybody else in the GT1 class."
Finish
Early incident costs Larbre strong finish at Le Mans 24 Hours
The loss of a left rear wheel in the third hour of the Le Mans 24 Hours ultimately cost Larbre Competition the chance of a strong result at the 76th edition of the world's most famous motor race.
Christophe Bouchut was driving when the hub carrier broke on his Saleen S7R as he entered Tertre Rouge and the loss of the wheel pitched him into a gravel trap. After crawling back to the pits for repairs, the team had to replace the transmission, brakes and suspension, as well as remove a huge amount of gravel from the car, in just 45 minutes, but the combined loss of time dropped them to the back of the field.
Throughout the remainder of the race the car ran without major incident, but the loss of such a significant amount of time coupled with the changeable conditions after the heavens opened at 4am on Sunday morning, meant the team were unable to make up significant ground on their rivals, ultimately finishing 7th in the GT1 class at the chequered flag.
However, despite their frustrations at being denied a strong result, the team were pleased to have reached the finish and proved that the American built Saleen is capable of competing in a twice around the clock endurance event.
Team Principal Jack Leconte said: "Many people said a 24 hour race was impossible for the Saleen, but we've succeeded in making it reliable thanks to our work with Oreca. After the problem on Saturday, we had no other target other than to finish the race and that was very important for the team and our partners. We are proud to have achieved that and we feel we are in good shape for the Spa 24 Hours where we hope to get our revenge."
David Hallyday: "Despite the misfortune we suffered early in the race, everything ran quite smoothly afterwards. We did have a slight issue during Patrick's last stint when a screw came loose in the floor and we had to replace it, but otherwise the car was perfect. It's a shame about the issue with the hub carrier because I think we could have finished much higher up the field, but I'm afraid that's motor racing!"
Patrick Bornhauser: "Unfortunately all the problems we suffered, including the issue with the floor this morning, came as a result of the loss of the wheel yesterday. It's a pity because we certainly could have been in a position to fight nearer the front. It's very frustrating because nobody made any mistakes, but the positive is the way we've proved that this car could complete a 24 hour race."
Christophe Bouchut: "Obviously it's a little disappointing because I missed pole position by a very small margin and I also think I could have challenged for fastest lap if I'd been on track at the right time. However, it was impossible to fight for the victory regardless of the problem we had because we couldn't match the race performance of the works Astons and Corvettes. The performance level of the Saleen is very good over one lap, but they had the edge in race trim."