Le Mans kicks “kamote” driver out

The 90th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is happening this weekend featuring a 62-car grid. However, before the main race even started, one driver has already been knocked off the grid list due to one of the most “kamote” reasons.

French racing driver Philippe Cimadomo was no longer allowed by stewards to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race after having three separate incidents during the endurance race's free practice sessions.

62-year-old rookie Cimadomo was driving for TDS Racing in the LMP2 class – the second-highest category in the 24 hours of Le Mans field. Because of the Frenchman's Bronze driver rating, they were classified in the Pro-Am class. He was paired with drivers Matias Beche and Tijmen van der Helm.

In the hands of Beche, the TDS Oreca race car was consistently setting the top 5 fastest lap times in practice. However, once Cimadomo got on board, he was involved in an accident with a much slower GTE-class Corvette in Free Practice 1, and also “nearly caused an accident” at the pit entry in the same practice session according to the stewards.

The Frenchman had another shunt in the third practice period where he made contact with another LMP2 car. The collision resulted in Cimadromo spinning to the barriers, with the TDS Oreca race car sustaining heavy damage. As of now, the car is being rebuilt with a replacement monocoque.

According to the race stewards, these three incidents show that the 62-year-old Le Mans rookie was “not driving to the standard required to safely participate in the remainder of the event”. Cimadomo, on the other hand, described his incidents as “momentary lapses”, and felt he had “gained experience and confidence in his capacity to compete”. However, the stewards simply could not ignore “the driving pattern” that the Frenchman is showing, hence the decision to exclude him from the endurance race.

TDS Racing has yet to announce a replacement driver for Cimadomo who also has the right to appeal to the stewards. Considering the nature of the Circuit de la Sarthe and the grueling 24-hour race ahead, it's indeed better to be safe than sorry.