onefastviking

Exactly !
Everyone seems to get this, except one.
The drivers in the middle and back were all listening on their radios to their spotters who called green when they saw the light go green. As the spotters should have been doing, all they were focused on was the light, and calling the green.

IMHO The real blame should go to the person that flipped the switch to turn green on. With pace car still in the lead and flying double yellows out it would seem obvious to NOT be a go.

Veloce Raptor

Same stuff, different thread.

sbelles

Too much torque on the button finger.

Greg Smith

+1. Also, did you make sure this was okay with the drivers that did crash?

multi21

Can't see if the lights are on or off on the pace car.

mark kibort

Yes, ive been in a pace car, and there is communication between race control and the pace car. (at least in club racing) maybe the pros dont have that kind of technology yet.

Look, yes, I have NO idea what happened. what I do know is that it shouldnt have. for some reason, it was a botched start and lots of guys were endanger of their lives and their equipment. Its sad to see. if they dont like the formation, the guy that pushes the green lights, should be like the commander and chief and it should be a go! all I saw was a waving yellow, but that wouldnt have caused the rapid slow down behind. the pace car should, when its green, not be on the track.
I just hate to see sensless carnage! Im trying to understand how that happened and who's fault it was. Im sure they will learn something from this situation.


VR, when a green flag drops, can they then wave off the group? no, but a caution can come out, but the race is officially started. At that point, I thought the rules say that the pace car will enter the field when safe in front of the leader. Do you think its safe to have a few 1000s of HP full throttle and then leave a pace car out there because they dont like the formation. If so, the green shouldnt be dropped or lighted.

mark kibort

so im torn. the guy that pushed the green or the waving flag. I think if he sees the pace car, he needs to be putting out a yellow, double or waving. the guy pushing the green is over the radio saying green, so I think its the pace car, unless the green light man said for the pace car to stay on couse, or if the steward was in the car and callled it out to not be a go, then it was the green light guy. either way, all Im saying is that there should be a way to abort a green lighted course, without running down a pace car. pace car and green is not a good combination.

Greg Smith

Oh Christ, I'm just going to unsubscribe now.

mglobe

But we haven't even gotten to the good part yet.

Veloce Raptor

..

multi21

Now that I look at it again, the two lead cars (The only ones that can clearly see the pace car) do not restart and are almost immediately passed up before start finish. It's not until the two lead cars are passed that they put the hammer down, probably thinking they missed something because everyone else is racing.

bobt993

Not the pace cars fault as was already commented. There was a stalled car on track so the start was to be aborted and go around again. One comment about the race suggests that the stalled car would not negate the race actually starting under yellow which the green flag with full course yellow would represent. To confusing if you ask me. I had a similar incident at Tbolt a couple years back. Track was double yellow for 5 laps. There was still race time left on the clock. As we went onto the front straight the tower pulled in the yellow and waved a checker. Well ten of us raced to the checker. If they had left the yellow out that would not have happened.

mark kibort

so, the starter screwed up?? how do or do they ever have a green with yellow start?? usually, that would warrent a wave off and line up again, which also usually means no pace car, (because it already pulled off)

I had a similar story to yours, but ours was a full course caution, no pace car though, and then even the final turn had yellows, but the starter didnt show a yellow, only a checker, so I (and a bunch of us) ran like heck to the starter to find our fiishing places. In the end, we were right, he should have had a yellow and a checker still out. yours was the same thing. a waving checker is a race in my book too! what did they say in the end, that was the intent?

AC coupe

If I may... since I started the whole thing

The lights on the pace car are off, which as far as I know that means it's coming in that lap, it sure looks like the field is getting formed up to go coming onto the main straight.

Like some of you guys who have driven Paul Ricard may remember, the front straight has a bit of a hump, so it's entirely possible the guys at the back could see the lights on the gantry but have no clue people were checking up until too late.

But what I found amazing is that a massive screw up like this could happen right at PR, a track with an incredible communication, camera setup. I guess as long as humans are involved....

Porsche are officially protesting the results of the race BTW

mark kibort

and that was my only point. to guess at the pace car just not pulling off. I just listened to the rest of the video and the announcers felt the same way. what did they say, "disasterous", "never seen anything like this in motor racing before", etc. someone is going to be in big doo doo for it!