At 3 a.m., on lap 360, the No. 100 M6, with Lucas Luhr behind the wheel, suffered a heavy crash in turn one, impacting the front and rear of the car.
Luhr was unhurt, but the damage from the suspected mechanical failure forced the team to retire the car from the race.
“Something failed, but I don’t know what exactly,” Luhr said.
“There was some kind of explosion at the front right that made the bonnet go up, so I couldn’t see where I was going. I had two or three good hits.
“My best guess is the right brake disc exploded. It’s a shame because we were running well and we were right there in the hunt. It is just a shame for all the guys with a new car that had such a good performance for the first time running and they don’t get rewarded.”