WEC: Strakka Dome won't race until 2015

The race debut of the delayed Strakka Dome LMP2 coupe has been set back again to the start of next season.

The Nissan-engined Strakka Dome S103 had been scheduled to race for the first time in the World Endurance Championship finale at Interlagos later this month after a series of delays stretching back to the start of the season.

The British Strakka team has now been forced to withdraw from the Brazilian event on Nov. 30, due to an homologation issue concerning the cockpit headrest mounting. A statement from the team said that the car "might not have received FIA safety approval to race." That forced the cancellation of its participation at Interlagos, despite "a huge push from the entire team and the its technical partners."

The final decision was made after a shakedown at Silverstone last Wednesday, which followed a five-day test at the Hungaroring last month during which the revised S103 completed just over 2100 miles in the hands of regular drivers Danny Watts, Jonny Kane and Nick Leventis.

Strakka team manager Karl Patman said: "We have seen the true performance in the car and know what it is capable of: now we have to wait until 2015 to show everyone else. Despite all the setbacks this year, we remain committed to the WEC and we are going to make sure 2015 makes up for the past 12 months."

Strakka is now planning an intensive winter test program ahead of next year's WEC and stressed its commitment to the car.

The successful Strakka sports car team, which has two top-six finishes at the Le Mans 24 Hours to its name, entered into an agreement with Japanese constructor Dome to bring its S103 design to market last year. Strakka had planned to contest the full WEC season, but the car was withdrawn from the Silverstone opener when undisclosed problems were discovered after initial testing.

A delayed debut of the car at Le Mans in June was abandoned after a heavy shunt in testing at Spa in May. The team subsequently revealed in July that the car was undergoing modifications to its rear suspension, which required the manufacture of long lead-time items such as the gearbox casing, and then announced in August that the car would not race until Interlagos.

Plans for Chinese entrant KCMG to field a second LMP2 entry at Interlagos as a lead-in in a prospective full two-car programme next year have also been abandoned.