Campos Racing have withdrawn Pepe Oriola’s Chevrolet Cruze from the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) season finale in Macau due to irreparable damage caused by the Spaniards crashes during practice and qualifying.
Oriola, who had not raced at all in the WTCC prior to this weekend, endured a torrid Friday on the Circuito da Guia in Macau. Having earlier been the fastest Chevrolet driver in both testing and first practice, hopes were high for the 20-year-old.
However Oriola then crashed on only his third lap in second practice and followed it up with a crash in qualifying Q1 before he had even posted a lap time.
Damage caused through contact with the wall at Paiol in second practice necessitated repairs to the front and rear suspension on his car. This was only possible due to solidarity from the other Chevrolet teams in the paddock, who lent parts to the Campos team.
However a second, heavier contact with the wall at Maternity bend in qualifying caused severe damage which could not be repaired in time, despite the WTCC having no track action on Saturday. A lack of spare parts has been cited as the reason.
Campos Racing Team Manager Joan Orús confirmed that Oriola’s car has been withdrawn from the event.