Sebastien Bourdais referred to the ‘cruel’ reality of racing after Tower Motorsports‘ were stripped of their 24 Hours of Daytona LMP2 class win.
Tower Motorsports finished first at the checkered flag on Sunday 26 January at the 63rd running of the Daytona 24 Hours.
IMSA performed the usual post-race technical inspections on each of the class-winning entrants including Tower’s #8 Oreca 07 LMP2.
They exceeded the maximum 5 millimetre wear on the skid block underneath the car and so lost their first Daytona win.
In a statement on Instagram, Bourdais said: “Racing can be cruel but governing bodies can be far worse.
“Tower Motorsports won the Rolex 24 LMP2 class. The third rear damper that controls ride height failed allowing the rear to come down too much subsequently over-wearing the rear skid [block].
“In recent memory, IMSA always used common sense when enforcing rules that were breached by technical failure. Unfortunately, not today.
“I want to thank everyone in the team for their flawless execution and dedication.
“Making them look like cheaters makes me sick as they always operate by the book.
“I sure hope we get a chance to win more races in the future. Thank you all for your support.”
United Autosports USA were promoted to victory after Tower Motorsports were penalised and moved to the back of the 12-car class.
The Anglo-American team secured their first 24 Hours of Daytona victory with the #22 Oreca 07 just seven months after their second at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Within a press release statement by United Autosports, CEO Richard Dean commented: “… It’s never nice getting handed the win a couple of days after, but that’s part of it, you’ve got to pass all the necessary tests.”
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