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64 Car Out With Drive Shaft Failure
64 Car Out With Drive Shaft Failure
December 31 1969 07:01:05 PM EST
The #64 Corvette C6.R has retired from the Le Mans race due to a failed driveshaft.

Because the starter motor is positioned after the driveshaft, the car was still able to move under its own power and would have been able to limp back to the pits (that's why you saw it start to leave on TV), but recent Le Mans rule changes have made it illegal to do so.

"Oliver Gavin, the driver of the now retired No.64 Corvette Racing Corvette C6.R, reports that their retirement was caused by the failure of the carbon-fiber prop shaft. He believes it was shaken to bits while he was behind the safety car. Under the control of the safety car, the Corvette Racing C6.Rs are using a special fuel saving mode which cuts out a number of cylinders. This appears to have caused a vibration which caused damage to the prop shaft." -lemans.org