LARBRE EXCLUDED... AGAIN — It was Deja vu all over again for Larbre Competition, which saw its GTE-Am class-winning No. 50 Corvette C6.R excluded due to a technical infringement for the second consecutive race.

Larbre's No. 50 Corvette C6.R was excluded for the second consecutive race, this time being stripped of its GTE-Am class victory. (Photo: John Dagys)

After losing out on a second place finish in class at Silverstone due to having an out-of-date fire extinguisher bottle, the Corvette flunked post-race tech at Interlagos because the car was not in compliance with the ride height requirements.

The Jack Leconte-led squad has appealed the Stewards’ decision, meaning the results and points standings remain provisional pending review by the FIA.

While a second consecutive DQ would come as a bitter blow to many team’s championship hopes, Larbre surprisingly still leads the title race, thanks to its points-scoring No. 70 Corvette, which inherited a second place finish on Saturday.

TOUGH BREAK FOR KROHN — Krohn Racing’s Six Hours of Sao Paulo lasted less than six minutes, following an unfortunate accident in the opening lap by Michele Rugolo, who qualified and started the GTE-Am class Ferrari F458 Italia in second.

The Italian ace was caught up in the first lap melee, triggered by the No. 28 Gulf Racing Middle East Lola B12/80 Nissan of Fabien Giroix who checked up and spun, which sent a brace of GT cars piling into, and on top of the LMP2 car.

“In Turn 4, it was very packed and there were two prototypes spun in front of us,” Rugolo explained. “[Enrique] Bernoldi was directly behind a prototype that braked to avoid the spinners. I was already very close to Bernoldi’s Ferrari and as he hit the prototype, I hit him and he flew over the prototype!

“I was so very close behind and couldn’t avoid him. I had hoped that the mechanics could fix my damaged car but the damage is too great.”

With chassis damage to the No. 57 Ferrari, there was no choice but to park the car for the remainder of the race. It marked only the third retirement for Krohn Racing in the last four years.

“The damage is so extensive, including some damage to the chassis that prevents us from fitting the parts to replace the ones that are broken,” explained team manager David Brown.

“We are going to have to cut out a piece of chassis and put a new piece of chassis in Bahrain to build the car up. We are bitterly disappointed! We thought we had a really good shot at this race.”

CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE — With the Manufacturers’ World Championship having already been sewn up at Silverstone, Toyota’s win on Saturday did not have any major impact in the LMP1 title race. However, with their second place finish, the No. 1 Audi trio of Marcel Fassler, Benoit Treluyer and Andre Lotterer, extended their lead in the Drivers’ World Championship over the sister machine of Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen.

The battle for top privateer honors in LMP1 has settled down as well, with Rebellion Racing also slightly increasing its lead over Strakka Racing and JRM heading into the final three rounds of the season.

Starworks Motorsport walked away from Brazil with maximum points, thanks to its pole and dominant win in LMP2. A fifth place finish for the ADR-Delta Oreca 03 Nissan, Starworks’ closest competitor, has resulted in a significant 28-point lead for the American squad.

Ferrari extended its lead in the GTE Manufacturers’ World Cup, thanks to another win by AF Corse in GTE-Pro, which in turn, put the Italian squad one step closer to securing the teams’ championship. And its No. 50 Corvette having been excluded for the second consecutive race, Larbre Competition still holds the lead in the GTE-Am title race.

Drivers Championship:

1. Marcel Fassler/Benoit Treluyer/Andre Lotterer -- 114.5
2. Allan McNish/Tom Kristensen -- 107
3. Dindo Capello -- 77
4. Loic Duval/Romain Dumas -- 67
5. Neel Jani/Nicolas Prost -- 62.5

LMP1 Manufacturers’ World Championship:

1. Audi -- 147
2. Toyota -- 44

FIA Endurance Trophy for Private LMP1 Teams:

1. Rebellion Racing -- 137
2. Strakka Racing -- 93
2. JRM -- 87
4. Pescarolo Team -- 25
5. Oak Racing -- 8

FIA Endurance Trophy For LMP2 Teams:

1. Starworks Motorsport -- 124
2. ADR-Delta -- 96
3. Pecom Racing -- 92
4. Greaves Motorsport -- 75
5. OAK Racing -- 58

GTE Manufacturers’ World Cup:
1. Ferrari-- 237
2. Porsche -- 132
3. Corvette -- 94

FIA Endurance Trophy For GTE-Pro Teams:

1. AF Corse -- 143
2. Aston Martin Racing -- 82
3. Team Felbermayr-Proton -- 74
4. Luxury Racing -- 53

FIA Endurance Trophy For GTE-Am Teams:

1. Larbre Competition -- 116
2. Team Felbermayr-Proton -- 94
3. AF Waltrip -- 77
4. Krohn Racing -- 71
5. JWA-Avila -- 62

NEXT UP — After a successful debut in South America, the FIA WEC packs up and heads to the Middle East for the Six Hours of Bahrain. Scheduled for Sept. 27-29, the first-ever Le Mans-style race in the region is expected to excessive temperatures and could be the biggest test of man and machine this year.

John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at