Dan Harper's woes at Spa 24 Hours are compounded by late retirement: ‘We never got the luck back in our favour'
The Rowe Racing-run machine was brought into the pits with only 10 minutes remaining on the clock after Harper's team-mate Philipp Eng reported a drop in stopping power.
Prior to peeling off the circuit and into the safety of the garage, Austrian Eng – a former winner at the world-famous endurance meeting – was bravely holding on to sixth position.
Having had their strategy for Friday's Superpole destroyed by a red flag, they started from 18th on the grid but, within the first two hours, Eng had moved up to 12th before the next breakthrough came at 11pm local time as Harper steered the car into the top 10.
A combination of smart pit-stops and full-course yellows going their way catapulted the trio into the overall lead on two separate occasions.
However, as the twice-around-the-clock meeting entered the final throes, a lack of pace around the 4.352-mile circuit compared to the winning Grasser Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo 2 and Rutronik Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R inevitably meant their silverware hopes wilted before a 'did not finish' beckoned.
'What happened out there sums up the week quite well,' reflected Harper.
'If we roll back to the beginning of the week, we had not actually driven the car in the Prologue, so we were thrown in at the deep end – but the guys prepared the car brilliantly, as always.
'Of course, we needed to make a few tweaks to get the car set up the way that we wanted, which took a bit longer than we had hoped it would, but we did get there eventually and the car, as we saw, was very fast in the race.
'We had been leading for a period and were fighting in the top three right up until the last six hours before a full-course yellow came at the wrong time for us and dropped us back.
'From that point, we never quite got the luck back in our favour.
'It was a shame but, in the end, I do not think we had the pace to compete against the Lamborghini, so congratulations to them.
'But I still think Rowe can be proud, two cars fighting for the podium right to the finish shows that they always perform.'
It appeared as though Rowe Racing – fresh from conquering the Nürburgring 24 Hours the previous weekend – would have something to celebrate as the sister 98 BMW crossed the line in third to round out the podium spots.
However, a 30-second time penalty was added post-race by stewards for track limit infringements, dropping the car two positions to fifth.
Meanwhile, Kilrea's Josh McErlean overcame a double Friday puncture, rear suspension damage and no working handbrake on Saturday to complete Acropolis Rally Greece in 12th position on Sunday in his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 alongside Eoin Treacy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Auto Blog
13 hours ago
- Auto Blog
SPIED: There's A New Lamborghini Urus Performante Lapping Nürburgring
Urus Facelift Getting More Hardcore In 2022, Lamborghini launched the Urus Performante with 657 horsepower, but last year, the facelift of the immensely popular Urus brought with it a hybrid powertrain for the first time in the Urus SE, and that blew the Performante out of the water. Still equipped with a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8, the SE added a permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor with 189 hp to the eight-speed transmission for a total of 789 hp, allowing it to achieve similar lap times to the Performante. But now our spies have caught a more extreme Urus testing at the Nürburgring, indicating that Lamborghini wants to further raise the bar. 800 hp? That sounds perfect for a new Raging Bull, but more may well be offered. Subtle Styling Changes Set Performante Apart At the front, the new headlights with their smoother shape and revised DRLs sit above an entirely reworked front end, though the changes are difficult to spot if you're not a fanatic. The lower side intakes are connected to the headlights with a more vertical strake than the regular Urus SE, while the lower spoiler also appears to be larger. The lower intake seems slimmer, but it's also taller. Moving down the side, it seems that the side skirts may have been lightly restyled, while the rear of the super SUV reveals a subtle ducktail spoiler, a taller diffuser element, and a roof-mounted spoiler, which appears to have bolts to allow for varying angles of attack. This spoiler looks very similar (if not identical) to the one on the old Performante, and we can expect new wheels when the production version is revealed. Other New Lambos In The Pipeline The Urus has been a core pillar of Lamborghini's remarkable sales figures, which show no signs of dropping, so it makes sense to keep offering the super SUV. However, the Italian automaker recognizes that saturating the market with too much of a good thing can hurt the appeal of its range, so no more SUVs are planned besides the brand's first EV, which is currently scheduled to arrive near the end of the decade. In the meantime, Lamborghini recently announced that a new 'few-off' supercar will make its debut at Monterey Car Week, and it's expected to be the most powerful Lambo ever made. Presumably, the new Urus Performante will debut shortly thereafter, in time for the 2026 model year, but with the current Urus seeing its entire 2025 production run sold out before the year began, getting your hands on any new Lambo won't be easy. About the Author Sebastian Cenizo View Profile
Auto Blog
16 hours ago
- Auto Blog
Lamborghini's Wildest Creation Yet Will Be Revealed In California
Limited Edition Debuting At Monterey Last week, a new report claimed that Lamborghini was working on a highly limited special edition that would be revealed at this year's edition of Monterey Car Week. It appears that this report may have been accurate because Sant'Agata has now teased a look at a limited-production supercar, announcing that the covers will come off on the lawns of Pebble Beach. The Supercar Blog claimed that this low-volume vehicle would bear the name Fenomeno and that it would be the most powerful Lambo yet. Those points are yet to be confirmed, but Lamborghini's announcement doesn't suggest otherwise. 0:07 / 0:09 Audi reveals sporty new A5/S5 with an emphasis on design Watch More A Glimpse Of The Future With A Nod To Lamborghini's Past Lamborghini's release discusses previous special editions like the Reventón, which was the first Lamborghini model launched intentionally as a few-off back in 2007, blazing the trail followed by subsequent limited production series, like the Sesto Elemento, Veneno, Centenario, Sián, and Countach LPI 800-4. Each of these vehicles represented a step forward, whether that was in carbon composite manufacturing and application, aerodynamics, interior technology, handling innovations, electrification, or 3D printing. The Italian automaker says that the next entrant to the series 'will map out the future of Lamborghini super sports cars, celebrating the identity and vision of the company.' This implies that the Monterey car's styling will be unique in the Lamborghini range, but only for now. Whatever new design elements or technological innovations are showcased by the low-volume model will surely influence future series production vehicles. The Lambo Rumors Look Realistic The report referenced at the outset claimed that this new special edition would be limited to just 29 units, which all but confirms a seven-figure starting price and unique bodywork. The report also claimed that this would be the most powerful Lambo to date, which means an increase on the 1,001 horsepower offered by the Revuelto. Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. The teaser does not appear to be hiding much in the way of overt aero appendages, but the front end seems to feature a vented hood somewhat reminiscent of the one on the Veneno, while the roof and the area behind each door appear to be very similar to those on the Revuelto. We'll have to wait until the middle of August to see what's hiding under the sheets, but given the exclusive nature of this car, if you haven't seen it already at some private preview event, there's no chance of securing an allocation now. About the Author Sebastian Cenizo View Profile
Auto Express
21 hours ago
- Auto Express
Auto Express
We caught our first sniff of a new Lamborghini last week thanks to a trademark application for 'Fenomeno', and now the Italian supercar brand has dropped the first image of the upcoming limited-edition hypercar. Despite still sitting underneath a cloak, this new car will clearly be bestowed with some typically aggressive Lamborghini design traits. There's what looks like a heavily vented bonnet - although to the rear there's no protruding wing or even a central spline, as we've seen on other limited-edition Lamborghinis. The company recently confirmed that the new Fenomeno will be revealed at Pebble Beach Concours in America during Monterey Car Week in August. The event has hosted plenty of exclusive Lamborghini premieres recently, including the Lanzador concept and, last year, the Temarario. Advertisement - Article continues below The firm even went as far to say the new Fenomeno will 'map out the future of Lamborghini super sports cars, celebrating the identity and vision of the company from Sant'Agata Bolognese'. We expect it to be a series special potentially based on the brand's Revuelto flagship, rather than the new Temerario, which is still yet to hit the market. The Revuelto's predecessor, the Aventador, formed the basis of several special editions throughout its 11-year lifespan, including the Sian (Lamborghini's first hybrid), the new Countach and the Centenario. We expect the Fenomeno could have a similar brief to those cars, using the same structure as the Revuelto underneath, but gaining a completely new exterior and possibly new powertrains too. With 1,001bhp, the Revuelto is already the most powerful Lamborghini ever, thanks to its combination of a naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 and three electric motors – so the Fenomeno will have to pull something special out of the bag to trump the standard car. On the other hand, removing the Revuelto's plug-in hybrid system to create a lighter, albeit less powerful offering would also be a tempting proposition. The word 'Fenomeno' is not only Italian, but also Spanish for 'phenomenon', and a trademark application for the name was made in April. It also features a logo design that's in keeping with the Revuelto and Temerario's, showing little horns protruding out of the name – a nod to previous Lamborghinis named after Spanish fighting bulls. Come and join our WhatsApp channel for the latest car news and reviews...
