WEC 24 Hours of Le Mans
TDS Racing driver banned following Le Mans practice shunts
TDS Racing LMP2 driver Philippe Cimadomo has been excluded from this weekend’s Le Mans 24 Hours as a result of three incidents during free practice.
Gary Watkins
Edited: Jun 11, 2022, 11:57 AM
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A decision from the stewards of the meeting stated that the Le Mans rookie, who was sharing the TDS Oreca 07-Gibson with Mathias Beche and Tijmen van der Helm, “is not driving to the standard required to safely participate in the remainder of the event”.
The decision was made on the recommendation of race director Eduardo Freitas “for the safety of himself and other competitors”, the stewards report continued.
Bronze-rated Cimadomo was involved in an incident with the #63 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R at the Dunlop Chicane in the opening session of free practice on Wednesday and “nearly caused an accident also in FP1 at pit entry”, according to the stewards.
He then crashed the TDS Oreca at Corvette Corner in the third practice period on Thursday after making contact with the #31 WRT car driven by Sean Gelael.
#13 TDS Racing x Vaillante Oreca 07 - Gibson LMP2 of Philippe Cimadomo, Mathias Beche, Tijmen Van Der Helm
Photo by: Rainier Ehrhardt
The TDS Oreca, which is running in the pro/am P2 subclass courtesy of Cimadomo’s bronze ranking, ended up sustaining heavy damage after spinning into the barriers and is currently undergoing a rebuild around a spare monocoque.
Cimadomo told the stewards that he had competed in the European Le Mans Series with TDS this year without incident and described the incidents in FP1 and FP3 as “momentary lapses”.
“He stated that he felt that he had gained experience throughout the practice sessions and felt more confident in his capacity to compete,” the steward’s bulletin stated.
“However, the stewards have concluded that a pattern exists that cannot be ignored at this time.”
Cimadomo has the right to appeal the decision of the stewards.
The 62-year-old moved up to LMP2 in the ELMS this year after competing in LMP3 prototypes in the Michelin-sponsored Le Mans Cup on the series support card, as well as the Ultimate Cup and the VdeV Endurance Series.
Cimadomo, Beche and van der Helm are lying second in the ELMS pro/am points after finishing third and then second in the two rounds held to date this year.
The TDS Oreca has been on the pace in the hands of Beche, who set third-fastest time overall in P2 in the opening session of last Sunday’s test day and was fifth and quickest in pro/am in FP1 on Wednesday.
TDS has been a consistent frontrunner in P2 at Le Mans both under its own name and running cars under the banners of G-Drive Racing and Racing Team Nederland.
Read Also:
- Le Mans 24h: Toyota dominant in final practice
- Le Mans 24h: Hartley beats Kobayashi in dramatic pole duel
- Cadillac plans multiple cars for Le Mans, one-car attack for WEC
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