Ford Multimatic’s Frederic Vervisch was “not really” concerned by the Mustang which caught fire twice in Qatar due to their specific cause.
Both of Proton’s fires were most likely caused by an FIA-ACO mandated exhaust silencer, specific to the FIA World Endurance Championship’s LMGT3 category.
The 24 Hours of Daytona GTD Pro class winner affirmed his unconcerned feelings about the #77 Ford Mustang LMGT3 which caught fire during the WEC Prologue and again during the 10-hour race itself.
“Not really,” he said when asked by Motorsport Week about any concerns in a pre-Sebring press conference, “it was a specific problem with some exhaust regulation for WEC, so it doesn’t apply to IMSA, so it should be no issue.
“And I think in general, a different team as well so I think yeah I fully trust my team and [what] they do and our mechanics and they do a great job of maintaining the car.”
“It’s unbelievable, but we are very realistic,” Vervisch furthered his expectations after winning Daytona.
“I think Sebring will be very tough for us…. we are leading the championship, so it’s the others who have to attack us.
“We will do our thing and then hopefully that’s good enough to stay where we are now [in the championship lead].”
Vervisch and his #65 Ford Mustang GT3 co-drivers Dennis Olsen and Christopher Mies will take on the 73rd running of the 12 Hours of Sebring on 15 March which followed the FIA World Endurance Championship‘s Qatar 1812 km season-opener on 28 February.
Mustang exhaust issues in Qatar
A faulty exhaust header led to a premature end for the Proton Competition #77 Ford Mustang LMGT3 in the first WEC Prologue test session.
Another fire during the race ensued with the #77 Ford with the team’s second chassis.
A statement by Ford Performance read: “The incident suffered by the #77 at Qatar was a result of issues within the exhaust system.
“The root cause is understood and is being managed through mileage limitations among other measures we are not communicating.”
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Editor’s Note:
Motorsport Week reached out to Proton Competiton but were unable to gain precise confirmation of the cause.
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