United Autosports’ #23 entry, driven by Tom Blomqvist, Josh Pierson, and Oliver Jarvis, had a successful stint in the wet, taking the lead in the class. However, Blomqvist went into the gravel upon approaching the Porsche Curves and discovered that he had no brakes, making contact with the barriers and triggering the in-car medical light. After undergoing medical checks, Blomqvist returned to the cockpit as the repaired car finished eighth in class, although not before the left-front wheel parted company with Jarvis.
Team manager Richard Dean believes that the brake issue was caused by something in the gravel trap damaging the brake line, and suspects that the issue was linked to Blomqvist’s visit to the gravel. Although the team needs to investigate further, Dean believes that the trip through the gravel trap was unusual and suspects that it caused the brake failure.
Wheel Detachment and Investigations
The left-front wheel on the #23 entry later detached due to damage to the retaining pegs when the wheel nut stripped during a pitstop. The team replaced the hub and did not have a repeat issue, but the damage caused by the stripped nut and wheel detachment put the team out of contention. United Autosports believes that it had the pace to make a race of it at the front, and the sister #22 United car lost time when Le Mans rookie Freddie Lubin lost control on the Mulsanne Straight, passing GTE Am traffic on the bumpy apron and crashing into Mikkel Pedersen’s Proton Porsche, which later retired due to the damage incurred.
The team conducted a 26-minute stop for repairs and a three-minute stop-go penalty, which meant that Lubin, Filipe Albuquerque, and Phil Hanson finished 11th. Despite the disappointment, Dean believes that Lubin is in good company with other drivers who made mistakes during the race. The team is looking at ways to guide drivers through these situations to avoid unnecessary accidents.
Disappointment and Retirements
Dean believes that a lot of garage doors were shut due to retirements in the first six hours, and that United Autosports is not the only disappointed team. However, the team had some really good stint averages, and all the drivers looked quick. The issues with the brake and wheel were unfortunate, and United Autosports hopes to investigate and find ways to avoid them in the future.
United Autosports’ Le Mans campaign was plagued by brake and wheel issues, causing the team to finish eighth and 11th in class. The team is conducting investigations to find out the cause of the issues and is looking at ways to guide drivers through difficult situations to avoid unnecessary accidents. Despite the disappointment, the team had good stint averages and hopes to avoid similar issues in the future.
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