Strakka Racing : from 56th to 7th

Strakka Racing came from 56th and last at the start of the Le Mans 24 Hours to fight back to 7th place with three hours remaining, before a water pressure problem forced the HPD ARX-03a into the pit garage. But the supreme efforts of drivers Nick Leventis, Danny Watts and Jonny Kane and the entire team did not go unrewarded.

With five hours remaining, concerns began to grow about the car’s water pressure, ending the hopes of the trio Leventis / Kane / Watts. Wisely, with three hours to go the car remained in the pit box and went back on track at the last lap, allowing the car to cross the finish line and thus be classified (the HPD had covered over the required 70% of distance of the winning car) and the team scored some important points. for the Trophy for the best private team LMP1.

Danny Watts: “The car had great pace all weekend and it’s a shame we lost six laps at the start because I think we’d have been right up there in the mix. But after what happened, you just have to change your mind-set so it becomes a fight-back and every lap is more like a qualifying lap. Forget a safe and consistent pace, all I was told on the radio was ‘right, push, push, push’. And that’s what I did on every lap of every stint, and on a quadruple stint that’s tough going. It’s a shame we got so far without completing the full twenty-four hours, but Lady Luck wasn’t on our side. It’s hard to describe what you go through emotionally and physically at Le Mans, and this year has been a rollercoaster. We had a few issues with the car during the race and the lads in the garage never give up, no matter what was thrown at them. A great spirit, a great fight and a true testimony to what team we are.”

Dave Davies (Source: Team press release)

Photo : LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, WEDNESDAY 13th JUNE 2012, FREE PRACTICE. Fortune did not smile on the British team.