Wayne Taylor “not upset” by DNF on team’s Le Mans debut

Wayne Taylor insists he is “not upset” that his eponymous team’s maiden appearance in the 24 Hours of Le Mans ended in retirement.

Wayne Taylor Racing was entered in the Hypercar class for the 93rd running of the French endurance classic, running a single factory-backed Cadillac V-Series.R for Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor and Jordan Taylor.

The team’s race came to a premature end shortly before the halfway point, when Albuquerque was forced to stop the car trackside due to an engine issue. It marked a frustrating end to what had already been a challenging debut for the American outfit.

The No. 101 Cadillac was never really in contention for a solid finish, having lined up 14th on the grid and suffered bodywork damage early on in an incident. A tyre flat spot, caused by a bollard getting wedged under the car, cost the crew further time.

The trio had recovered to 16th place when the terminal engine issue struck, forcing the car out of the race.

However, Wayne Taylor, who scored a class win at Le Mans as a driver in 1998, was pragmatic about the outcome of the race.

“It has been an eventful weekend,” he summed up. “Obviously, everyone came here with a lot of excitement. Family, race team, first time here. If I had to sum it up now, the guys did a heck of a job the entire weekend.

“I cannot say enough about what they did this week to bring us to where we are. To change an engine out in 1 hour and 27 minutes, which normally takes 3 to 5 hours, and be ready to qualify, was amazing.

“The race just didn’t start that well. We got hit by someone at the start and caused damage to the car, which affected our performance. Once we got through all the skirmishes in the beginning, we were lapping the same as the leaders so we were feeling pretty good.

“Everybody worked really hard and everybody did a great job. Thanks to Cadillac for giving us this opportunity. The relationship with Cadillac is very, very strong. I am sad for them more than anybody. They put so much effort into this.

“I have been doing this for a long time, so I am not leaving here really upset because I know this is what happens. You just have to pick up the ball and run with it.

“Luckily, we have a race [IMSA] next weekend in Watkins Glen and this will be history.”

AXR Cadillac also retires

Action Express Racing’s No. 311 Cadillac, making its third consecutive at Le Mans, retired from the race in the 17th hour after running into a similar power loss issue.

The car driven by Jack Aitken, Felipe Drugovich and Frederik Vesti was running near the bottom of the Hypercar pack before its stoppage, having been delayed by technical issues and a drive-through penalty.

“We were so excited with the performance of the Whelen Cadillac,” said general manager Gary Nelson.

“Everything was just clicking very well for us. We started eighth, moved up into the top five before the end of Jack's first stint. Amazing drive from all three of our drivers, our pit crew, everything.

“Then, about nine hours in, we had something with the steering. We wanted to be cautious, so we came in to change parts and that took six laps.

“It was just a matter of getting back out there and performing the best we could, show our fans and people throughout the racing industry that we don't quit, and then in the 17th hour we lost drive out on the track and Fred (Vesti) couldn't get the car back to the pits.

“When that happens, you're forced to retire. If we could have made it back, we would have figured out something and gone back out there. But that ended our day.”

While Cadillac's additional IMSA entries failed to reach the finish, its two Jota-run factory cars were classified fifth and eighth respectively.