Team WRT has unveiled that Yifei Ye’s final lap breakdown while leading the 24 Hours of Le Mans was caused by an electrical shortcut.
The #41 ORECA 07-Gibson stopped on track from a leading position during the final lap of last weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, gifting victory to its sister car.
The team initially suspected that a throttle sensor was at fault for the stoppage, but has now confirmed in a statement that an electrical shortcut was to blame.
“The #41 ORECA 07-Gibson seemed to have secured LMP2 victory for Team WRT’s first participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans when its engine suddenly fell silent at the beginning of what should have been its final lap,” the team said.
“The next shocking surprise for Team WRT came on Monday morning when the mechanics recovered the car from parc fermé, only to find out that the engine fired up immediately at the first push of the switch, sounding crisp and healthy.”
“Further investigations revealed that an electrical shortcut caused a temporary ECU malfunction.”
“The engine and all its ancilliaries were found to be in perfect condition, as well as the complete fuel system with over 20 litres left in the tank.”
Ye, Louis Deletraz and Robert Kubica failed to complete the final lap of the race, and were therefore not classified as a finisher.
