Filipe Albuquerque of Wakefield's United Autosports addresses damaging alternator issue in 24 Hours of Le Mans

The car had a particularly strong line-up, with Albuquerque assigned to it alongside Ben Keating and Ben Hanley.

It appeared to be among the stronger teams in the LMP2 class, especially considering Albuquerque, Keating and Hanley had previously enjoyed victory at Le Mans.

However, within an hour of the race, the car left the track while operated by Keating. It proved to be a costly miscalculation, setting #23 back significantly.

It proved to only be the start of the car’s problems, as it would later need to retreat to the garage after a brief spell back on the track.

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One hour and 28 minutes of work went into repairing the Oreca 07, by which time the damage had been done.

In a statement issued during the race, Albuquerque said: “Hard to take but we are technically out of the race. The alternator broke and while they were repairing it the team found a stone in the middle.

"So our little spin into the gravel costed us too much. Oh well, this is Le Mans, cruel with all little mistakes, troubles etc. The team repaired the car and let’s try to finish this.”

#23 eventually finished well short of the LMP2 podium in 13th, leaving fans wondering what might have been had the early trip on to gravel not been made.

One of the reasons Le Mans attracts such close attention its potential pitfalls. Blips are notoriously tough to bounce back from and the 2024 edition served up yet more reminders of the track’s difficulties.

#23 was not alone in experiencing issues and it could be argued the team got off lightly compared to others.

In the Hypercar class, Porsche’s #4 slid off the side of the track on his outlap on slicks. It was sent hurtling towards the barrier, taking significant damage. Felipe Nasr, fortunately, escaped unscathed.

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Shortly after, The Heart of Racing’s #27 was sent spinning into a barrier at speed in similarly shocking fashion. Again, the driver was able to leave the vehicle.

Kyffin Simpson also veered off track while behind the wheel of Nielsen Racing’s #24 in the LMP2 class.

#54 had a crash at the Dunlop Chicane, while #20 took a bump at the Ford Chicane. The aforementioned incidents form part of a selection, with many more crashes having taken place over the course of the 24 hours.

It was hardly race short on drama, although the incidents did contribute to the action being distilled by the safety car.

Crashes are of course part and parcel of racing, particularly in 24-hour endurance tests. Weather conditions perhaps made them more inevitable, as the track was hit by heavy rain in the pitch-black dark of night.

Albuquerque told The Yorkshire Post: “At this level, you don't recover. 15 years ago, 20 years ago, winners were getting this with three or four laps advantage and saving the car. Now it's flat out. The difference between pro and amateur, I would say it's a second.”