Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's Bryan Sellers has been disqualified from the fourth round of the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY in Sanya, China.
Sellers, who took third place in the provisional classification in the race, was disqualified as a result of a technical infringement that was discovered during post-race scrutineering.
After examination, it was found that the driver had failed to use factory-installed dampers and springs on the rear of his car, with this failing to comply with the championship's regulations.
An official document stated:
"The Car is not in compliance with Art. 5.19.1 of the 2018-2019 Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy Technical Regulations which states that : “Only the factory-installed Ohlins TTX dampers and Eibach springs in their JLR specification are allowed to be used. No adjustment of damper travel is permitted."
Further investigation on the #6 Jaguar also led to the discovery of a cable tie strapped to the rear shock absorbers axle to increase roll rigidity, with this leading to the driver’s eventual disqualification from the race.
Taking Sellers' disqualification into account, TWR Techeetah's Stefan Rzadzinski inherited third place to take his maiden podium in the I-PACE eTROPHY, with Jaguar Brazil Racing's Sergio Jimenez, who finished a provisional fourth, being handed a one-second time penalty post-race.
Alongside losing his fourth consecutive podium finish, Sellers has also dropped to third place in the Pro Drivers' Championship, with Team Asia Pacific New Zealand's Simon Evans regaining the lead in the standings while Katherine Legge has moved into second.
The Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY will return in Rome for the fifth round of the 2018/19 season.
