The ISR Audi is a confirmed retirement “too much damage to safely repair here”
Unluckily for Aditya Patel there was a rather expert observer at the scene of the incident that accounted for the #75 car, and worse still he was filming the action, Allan McNish here to support the R8 LMS Cup and taking part too in a major Audi marketing seminar (We have no clue what he is pointing down to here but it might be Ant Davidson?).
Motionsport were in the midst of an engine change, the missing parts required now on their way back from Dubai after a mercy mission by a crew member.
Simon Philips was hopeful that the team would make it out for the second part of the race: “Hopefully for the start but if not we won’t be too far after that.
Next race for the team is the Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hours in their newly acquired ex MP Motorsport Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3. The plan thereafter is yet to be finalised but looks set to include an entry for the Vantage in the GTC class of the full 2015 ELMS.
There is a strange synergy to the result of the first part of the 2014 Gulf 12 Hours. Last year’s race saw Steve Wyatt and Michele Rugolo take the win (though last year with Marco Cioci. This year with Davide Rigon).
Even more spookily the second placed car, and driver squad, the Abu Dhabi Racing Black Falcon Mercedes of Bernd Schneider, Khaled Al Qubaisi and Jeroen Bleekemolen, produced the same result in 2013 too!
And finally the brand new debuting McLaren 650S GT3 came home third in Part One. The brand new and debuting Bentley Continental GT3 did the same last year!!
Down at McLaren the team are suffering from excessive fuel consumption on the 98 Octane fuel here, a particular disadvantage to the turbocharged car. The issue for the #60 car meanwhile that cost the team a clean run for both cars, was finally traced to a right rear wheel speed sensor!
