Kiwi racer Tim Miles had a chaotic weekend racing in the Ford Mustang challenge at Circuit de La Sarthe in Le Mans, France. The two races lasted only 45 minutes but were full of dramatic moments, which affected the weekend’s results.
Miles faced an uphill battle, qualifying 5th in the Dark Horse legends class and 21st overall for Friday night’s race.
Alex Bachoura qualified first in the DHL class and 10th overall before a mechanical issue on lap one forced him into the pit.
Miles was running fourth in class at the start of lap 2 before receiving a drive-through penalty for an incorrect starting procedure. After serving the penalty, he rejoined the race down in 18th place out of 19 in class.
Young Australian Super2 driver Cameron Mcleod held the lead after qualifying with pole position. He quickly gained a 5-second lead, securing the win for his class and overall.
Some smart passing saw Miles climb to 12th in class and 30th overall before the racing was cut short by a red flag caused by David Wall crashing into the barriers at the end of the chicanes.
Race 2 on Saturday gave Miles another chance to prove himself and avoid a penalty in Le Mans. He had a tougher start in 23rd overall and 8th in class.
Two minutes in, the only safety car of the Challenge was brought out after multiple crashes in the first lap.
Marco Signoretti rear-ended second-place driver Sam Paley, causing his bumper to fall loose and hang off the back of his car. Both cars had to pit, although Paley waited 10 minutes before his bumper fell off in the middle of the track.
Chip Van Vurst had started 7th in the DHL class before he had a big crash, smashing the front of his car and forcing him to pit.
Chelsea Denofa and Tom Tait, who was 4th in DHL, both span off the track in the same spot, right behind each other.
3rd in DHL, Andrew Miedecke got stuck in the sand trap with a smashed front and had to be craned off of the track.
The final crash of the first two laps belonged to Colin Harrison, whose rear got destroyed, and the back window was completely broken.
With multiple crashes requiring clean-up, the safety car lasted 13 minutes, nearly a third of the 45-minute race.
Miles benefited greatly from the crashes, finishing second in class and 14th overall after multiple front runners were taken out.
Eighteen minutes in, Bachoura, who was leading the DHL class, spun out, sending him down the standings. He re-emerged on track in 24th position and ninth in class. This brought Miles up into 1st position, leading his class for the first time in the weekend.
Bachoura recovered from the spin without damage and swiftly rose back up the rankings, passing Miles 13 minutes later.
Alfonso Diaz was then able to pass Miles and Bachoura, securing the DHL class win.
Finding some late-race pace, Miles gained on Bachoura and passed him with 2 minutes left, securing second place.
After the disaster penalty in race one, our Kiwi racer found some good speed and took the second step of the podium in the dramatic second race.
Header Image: Wall Racing
