Podium hopes shattered as mechanical issue sees Inception Racing retire from Gulf 12 Hours

Inception Racing started their Gulf 12 Hour campaign on a high after claiming Pro-Am pole in Saturday evening’s qualifying session, only for their luck to run out come Sunday afternoon after a mechanical issue just four hours into the endurance race sees the team retire from their top-five overall position.

A mechanical issue in the morning meant Inception Racing’s McLaren started from the pit lane rather than on Pro-Am pole for the start of Sunday’s race. Charging into turn one, initial contact with one of the Porsche cup cars saw Brendan box a couple of laps later with minor damage.

The team quickly turned the car around and Brendan was back out amongst the pack, chasing down those who were due to start behind him.

With 80 minutes gone by, the first of many Safety Cars was deployed as the #33 Kessel Ferrari found itself stranded out on track. With cars cleared, racing was resumed and after completing a double stint, Brendan sat seventh in class before handing over to Ben.

The third hour saw all the action unfold as rain began to fall over Yas Marina. Damp conditions brought out yet another Safety Car but upon the restart, out of three Pro-Am cars on the lead lap, Inception Racing’s #7 was one of them.

The team thought that the drama was over as the rain dissipated, but, as Ben moved up the field once again, a mechanical issue forced him to pit sooner than expected.

As he boxed, the crew held off from working on the car for five seconds due to a penalty incurred for track limit violations, but upon assessing the issue, the car was brought into the garage, thus seeing the team retire.

Although not the result the team wanted to round off a multi-championship winning year with, they can certainly walk away with their heads held very high.

Ollie Millroy

“We’re gutted. A mechanical failure sent us out early. After a hero couple of stints from Brendan and then a great few laps from Ben in the wet, we were up into the top five overall when the front left upright failed.

“It’s a tough end to an incredible year, but now onto Daytona.”