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Le Mans Stewards rule out Grove night-drive

The Grover Le Mans Mercedes

By Timothy Neal

After technical issues in FP3 for the Iron Lynx Mercedes team, stewards agreed that the #63 AMG could compete on Saturday, but Stephen Grove is ruled out for night driving owing to the car and driver being unable to take enough laps in the dark.

Two conditions were put forth after the AMG GT3 couldn’t complete FP3 after technical issues emerged after the rebuild from the FP1, with both Stephen and son Brenton only managing four laps each before the former had to kill the engine.

The platinum driver Luca Stolz only took seven laps in the night session, but according to the rules, a driver needs to complete at least five laps at night to qualify for the in-race night session (between 10 pm and 6 am).

The stewards also ruled that Stolz must start the race as he starts his second Le Mans 24, whilst Stephen Grove won’t be able to drive during the allotted night shift. The #63 will be starting at the rear in 62nd.

“The Team Representative explained that due to an accident in FP1, the car did not participate in FP2 and due to a technical failure in FP4, only one lap was completed,” the steward’s report said.

“The Stewards accepted this explanation and allowed the car to continue in the competition due to the fact that the drivers have a certain experience in motorsport.”

It has been a tough weekend for the Iron Lynx garage on Mercedes’s return to Le Mans in the LMGT3, but the #61 machine proved a shining light after making the Hyperpole session to finish fourth.

With the heaviest car on the grid, it was a fantastic effort, with Aussie Martin Berry having put the car into Hyperpole with a P11 whilst his teammates did the H1 and H2 shifts.

For Stephen Grove, it was a tough opening day when his rear end stepped out before the hazardous Dunlop Curves, going heavily into the wall.

The Le Mans 24 starts at 4 pm local time.

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