Two times Le Mans winner arrested after Brazil crash

Mr Melo won two 24 hours Le Mans races driving a Ferrari car

Brazilian driver Jaime Melo Junior, who won two Le Mans 24-hour endurance races, has been arrested after crashing his car during a high-speed chase.

Police accuse Mr Melo, 32, a former Ferrari car racer, of being under the influence of illicit substances and reckless driving.

Mr Melo reportedly fled from a nightclub in the southern city of Cascavel, after a row with another man.

His father told local press he was going through "personal problems".

Police were called after two men had a row outside a nightclub in Cascavel, a city in the southern state of Parana, on Saturday night.

Mr Melo, who won the Le Mans 24-hour race in 2008 and 2009, then reportedly switched off the headlights of his car and drove away at high speed.

The police chase ended with the driver crashing into a wall, after allegedly breaking a number of traffic rules.

He had already had his driver's licence suspended, authorities say.

After spending a night in jail, a judge ordered Mr Melo's release.

"He had a can of beer in the car, that's why he didn't want to stop," his father, Jaime Melo, told Brazilian news website G1, adding that he had been going through "problems with his girlfriend".

His father also told local media that after leaving jail, Mr Melo travelled to Europe to compete in an endurance race.