Mazda Team’s Day Ends In Practice With Devastating Wreck

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

This really sucks: in the final test session before the start of the Petit Le Mans, the new B-K Motorsports Lola coupe got loose, hit the wall backwards, and was demolished beyond repair. Following the wreck, the B-K team got its car under wraps and its tent buttoned up pretty quick, but B-K crew chief Larry Ellert and Mazda’s John Doonan were kind enough to come out and talk to me a bit about the car. Nearly the entire rear corner of the car was gone, with the wing, bellypan, and lots of carbon-fiber bodywork involved. The rear suspension was pretty severely jacked, with the right rear wheel ripped almost clear and the transaxle damaged beyond repair. Driver Gerardo Bonilla was at the wheel at the time, and as you can imagine, he’s pretty devastated. The B-K team will not be able to get the car back out on the track today, as there’s simply too much damage that won’t be able to be repaired on site.

But the B-K team isn’t the only one facing heartbreak—during the recon laps directly preceding starting grid, the No. 1 Audi driven by Allan McNish, who was fastest in the morning practice, also spun and got in the wall. The likely culprit was a cold set of tires on a cold track, and McNish limped the car back to the garage area with a lot of flapping bodywork (and some panels left on the track). Though it was initially reported that the Audi would be out for the start of the race as planned, it’s now not entirely clear whether it’ll join the pack on the starting grid. I guess we’ll know in a minute!

Check out the Amoco Ultimate Your Car Is Worth It Photo Contest. They’re giving away gas money on a weekly basis, and one Grand Prize Winner will get to go to France for 24 Hours Of Le Mans!