New Forest racing driver Justin Keen suffered one of the most embarrassing moments of his career when he crashed his Lola car on the parade lap of the FIA Sportscar Championship.

Keen spun shortly after exiting the pits and the rear left wheel struck the perimeter wall causing intermediate damage to the rear suspension and putting the Taurus Sports car out of the event. Despite heavy rainfall throughout the weekend the team's Lola Judd had led during practise, with the experienced Christian Vann showing the way and qualifying third on the grid with Keen at the wheel. The gap to the lead car of Pescarolo Sports was just eight tenths of a second.

For Team Proprietor, Ian Dawson, it was not all disappointment as the car proved both its competitiveness and future potential.

"Justin made a mistake in wet conditions and unfortunately we sustained too much damage to continue. However, I am extremely pleased with the way the car performed over two days and its potential to get better and better.

"With excellent support from Dunlop Tyres we have made great strides forward and can take many positives away from the weekend. The car is quick and will become even quicker.

"We shall be testing within two weeks in preparation for the next round and with an eye on the Le Mans 24-hour race."