Weaver Quits Bentley

[rdjones]

Just found this on Autosport.com

Famous marque loses driver in run up to Le Mans


Sportscar ace James Weaver will not drive at this year's Le Mans 24 hours after quitting the Bentley team earlier this week.

Weaver was due to drive a Bentley in the French endurance classic with Andy Wallace and Butch Leitzinger, but the sportscar stalwart missed the official Le Mans test session 10 days ago and it was confirmed he would not be taking up his seat on Monday.

The reasons for the split are not yet known, but it is thought that Weaver had expressed safety reservations about driving the EXP Speed 8 around the high speed Le Mans circuit. His decision comes just two weeks after Michele Alboreto was killed while testing for Audi at the Lausitzring.

"James will not be driving for Team Bentley at Le Mans or in the future," a team spokeswoman told this week's Autosport magazine. "The reasons are between him and us."

Eric van der Poele is in pole position to take the vacant seat with the team although the Belgian is contracted to drive a Dick Barbour Racing-run Reynard at La Sarthe. Van der Poele is known to have tested for Bentley on Tuesday. Reserve driver Perry McCarthy is also on hand to take the drive.

Looks like he thinks the car is not safe

[KC]

I wonder if he felt the car was prone to the same problems that afflicted the Merecedes CLK-GTRs there? No one needs any of that problem again. I think the racing community has been lucky so far int he deaths related to cars flipping off of the track, but the odds are mounting that a driver won't survive.

[TimD]

I understood that it was a question of tyre deflation sensors. They exist, they have been run on the Audi before now, and Weaver wanted to see them on the Bentley.

For whatever reason, they aren't there, and he has chosen to withdraw his services.