There are good days in racing. There are bad days in racing. Sometimes, there are cars that just won't stop being on fire in racing, too. For the Lotus CLM P1/01 at the 6 Hours of Fuji, this was one of those crazy never ending pit lane fire days.
The Lotus CLM P1/01 is a new LMP1 entry to the World Endurance Championship that debuted at the Lone Star Le Mans weekend last month in Austin.
The 6 Hours of Fuji was its second race, and judging by the footage, it didn't end so well. Driver Christophe Bouchut tried to bring the faulty car into the pits once it started smoking, but could not make it in before flames engulfed the car. Luckily, he was quick to hop out and only escaped with minor burns.
The car was in second place at the time of the fire, and a failure in the fueling system was to blame for taking the car out of the race.
Check your fuel lines, guys. Check them now and check them again. I say this because I care. Also, I say this because this was the kind of fire that just kept on going. You could see the flames appear to be under control right before blowing back up again. BOOM! It's like Michael Bay decided to get into racing.
Like Bathurst, the 6 Hours of Fuji was another epic race we didn't get on TV in the U.S. last weekend. Broadcasters, shame be heaped upon your heads. We could've at least squeezed in a couple hours of sweet enduro action somewhere in that light schedule.