Tower Motorsport after losing Daytona Win: 'Will review all options'
General
- Nicole Mulder
The number 8 Oreca 07 Gibson of Tower Motorsports, with which Dutchman Job van Uitert, among others, took victory in the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Daytona, has been disqualified for a technical infringement. The team did not agree and appealed the decision, but it was rejected by the officials.
Tower Motorsports loses Daytona victory
The winning car was found guilty by IMSA of exceeding the maximum permitted wear of the skid block on the underside of the car, which is set at 5 mm by FIA technical regulations. Tower Motorsports appealed IMSA's decision, but it was rejected.
"Tower Motorsports is deeply disappointed by IMSA’s decision to penalize our No. 8 LMP2 entry following post-race technical inspection at the 24 Hours of Daytona," said team manager Ricky Capone in a statement to Sportscar365. "Our team strongly contests this ruling and maintains that we did not intentionally violate any technical regulations."
During the hectic closing stages of the 24 Hours of Daytona, the #8 Tower Motorsports was able to take advantage of a collision between the numbers one and two at the time. This allowed Job van Uitert, Sebastien Bourdais, Sebastian Alvarez and John Farano to take a win, which due to the ruling they have since lost.
The team does not stop there. "The No. 8 car has consistently passed technical inspection throughout the event and in previous competitions without issue. We firmly believe that this outcome does not reflect any wrongdoing or competitive advantage on our part," Capone explained.
Bourdais, one of the Tower Motorsport drivers, revealed on social media that the car had suffered a defect in the rear damper during the race, which they said led to excessive wear on the part in question. "We filed a formal protest, which IMSA has denied, " Capone continued. "While we respect the regulatory process, we are extremely disheartened by this decision."
"We also understand that this was a difficult decision for IMSA to make, and we appreciate their communication and insight throughout this process. While we may not agree with the outcome, we recognize the complexity of their role in enforcing regulations. We remain committed to upholding the integrity of the sport and will review all possible options in response to this penalty."
This article was written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica.
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