MTosi

I think what alot of people missed about that incident last year is the back strait, due to the camera angle. They show bergmesiter onboard get a run down the inside then what melo does is walk him strait into the wall. Its hard to see since the camera angle is from the side of melo's car so you can't see the proximity to the wall, but what you can see is the dust from bergmeisters contact with it. When you hear the team radio after the finish bergmeister doesn't mention the last corner he mentions the backstrait.

Streak

No way! Berg was trying to keep from being forced off track or into the wall. He had no choice but to continue trying to keep his car to the right of where MELOnhead was trying to shove him. Berg had no choice. Melo is dirty. He bounced off cars all year last year including a few scrapes with the RS Spyders. Why chop an RS at the apex? Just to cause damage? What point was he trying to make? The RS is going to go past him and he's not racing the RS but he ran into a lot of them last year. Let the faster classes go and don't screw up their race! He's a sneaky bastard because somehow he never got a penalty for some real a**hole driving. He did this too often last season to be forgiven so quickly. This is karma.

A.Wayne

I guess like watching a porsche supercup race , rub to scrub, bump and run racing

Streak

True dat!

RedlineMan

I'm not kidding;

And I don't happen to agree with you. IF Burgmeister hit Melo going into 17, then he's fair game in my book. I do not remember that being the case. If Burgmeister DID hit him on entry, then I'll change my tune. You may further try to split hairs and say that Burgmeister may have slipped, precipitating a return nudge, but you can't make me believe that Melo did not consciously hit his opponent.

With 2 cars going into the turn side-by-each, they would have both been slowed. Burgmeister had the momentum, and thus ran a wide (relatively normal) line. Melo was forced deeper, and thus took a straighter "squared" exit line. Given that, I see no reason a car exiting turn 17 would be going fast enough and/or be forced into a line where he would "wash out" into the opponent and hit him.

It seems to me the only reason he caught up momentarily was that he was on the straighter exit line, but I feel Burgmeister would have CLEARLY had the momentum to win at the stripe.

It may be prosaic to some, but I believe in Gentlemen's Racing. If you can't beat your opponent with shear craft and/or daring, CLEANLY, you take second.

I think he got that move from Earnhardt. How appropriate that Bristol is today... I wonder if Melo will be looking for pointers?

RedlineMan

Yep...

And it sems to me I remember how Hensler won HIS title. Slightly more than bump-and-run, as I recall.

MTosi

hahahaha, porsche supercup reminds me of german nascar

OldGuy

That was a dirty move by the Ferrari no doubt.

38D

I don't think Melo intended to hit the FL car. He made a bad decision trying to get a run to the hairpin...by the time he went to the inside of the prototype, he was on the grass and dunfer. His ABS had to be freaking out trying to keep the car straight, hence why he didn't slow until he used the FL car.

Bull

Not intentional THIS year....just incredibly STUPID! He isn't bright enough to have known exactly what car he would take out.

He should be sat down for a while.

Gator_86_951

Got back real late last night and had a blast.

I would have liked to see the peugeot run longer without trouble and I wish the mazda entry would have been able to run. One thing I will say is that watching the race is an entirely different experience now that I have more seat time at Sebring. Corner entry and exit speeds of the prototypes is just unreal in person. Srsly.

DrJupeman

+1000.

Clearly the hit wasn't INTENTIONAL, but it doesn't excuse stupid driving. "I didn't mean to do it" doesn't make the incident pardonable.

DanS911

+1 on that!
No lift before the turn in at T17 and how 'bout Marco flat out through T1!!!!

DrJupeman

He wasn't doing it during the race from the in-car we were shown, so I guess its a "softs and low fuel load" situation...?

Bull

Not certain that he did it at all during the race. The commentators were claiming he did so during testing or qualifying, and it seems to have become "fact".