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View Full Version : Audi Pace Car failed so hard at AMLS 2011


endofanera7
04-04-2011, 01:25 PM
YouTube - Start Chaos 2011 Le Mans Series at Le Castellet


The inaugural race of the 2011 Le Mans Series, Le Castellet 6-Hours, got off to a nasty beginning today, with a mistake by the pit car causing a huge pileup in the GT field. Thanks to a hump in the back stretch of the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit, cars at the back of the pack can't see the front of the field, just the green light telling them to go.

At the start of Le Castellet, the lights turned green, but the pace car didn't leave the track. Fortunately for the Audi pace car driver, the prototype field saw his mistake and slowed down abruptly.

Those in GT, thinking the race was still green, crested the rise to be met with much slower traffic. The resulting panic stops led to pandemonium, which left at least one Farnbacher-Loles Porsche out of commission before the race even got started. Check out the video after the jump.

rightfttc
04-04-2011, 01:33 PM
Wow that blows...
but yellow flags were out the whole time Were they starting under yellow, or was it the light operator's fault?

Faymester
04-04-2011, 01:36 PM
^ I'm curious as well; I think there's a bit of blame to go around here.

constantin
04-04-2011, 01:52 PM
This incident reminds me of the AMA/MotoGP weekend @ Laguna Seca.

Pace cars in general are a bad idea. Flags do the job for the most part and cars have radios to communicate with the drivers.

E46transforM3r
04-04-2011, 03:22 PM
YouTube - Start Chaos 2011 Le Mans Series at Le Castellet (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F63z6eGb6rE)


The inaugural race of the 2011 Le Mans Series, Le Castellet 6-Hours, got off to a nasty beginning today, with a mistake by the pit car causing a huge pileup in the GT field. Thanks to a hump in the back stretch of the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit, cars at the back of the pack can't see the front of the field, just the green light telling them to go.

At the start of Le Castellet, the lights turned green, but the pace car didn't leave the track. Fortunately for the Audi pace car driver, the prototype field saw his mistake and slowed down abruptly.

Those in GT, thinking the race was still green, crested the rise to be met with much slower traffic. The resulting panic stops led to pandemonium, which left at least one Farnbacher-Loles Porsche out of commission before the race even got started. Check out the video after the jump.


:eek: talk about epic fail :facepalm:

Definitive
04-04-2011, 03:23 PM
Crazy situation. That really sucks for every one back there.

D