24 Hours of Le Mans
06-17-2011, 01:40 PM
#136
Great win for Audi! Very interesting 2011 Le Mans. I hope the ACO removes the amateurs....they caused a lot of issues out there. Robert "Dum" Kaufmann (driver in of the Ferrari involved in the Rocky incident) didn't help his position any with his interview and the fact that the ACO told him not to drive anymore...
Technically, he's probably right - the Le Mans "rules" probably do state that the GT car should drive their line and the prototypes are supposed to go around, but that doesn't mean you throw out on-track race etiquette (or on-track etiquette at all) by letting a faster car through when it has committed its line. There was no other class cars near the Ferrari, he didn't need to come down to the apex or cross over the center line. Rocky gave more than enough warning with his flashing headlights.
Anyways...quite dramatic - I am glad no one got hurt and I am very thankful for all the safety improvements that have happened over the years. I felt sick to my stomach, sad, excited, and happy during the whole race!
Technically, he's probably right - the Le Mans "rules" probably do state that the GT car should drive their line and the prototypes are supposed to go around, but that doesn't mean you throw out on-track race etiquette (or on-track etiquette at all) by letting a faster car through when it has committed its line. There was no other class cars near the Ferrari, he didn't need to come down to the apex or cross over the center line. Rocky gave more than enough warning with his flashing headlights.
Anyways...quite dramatic - I am glad no one got hurt and I am very thankful for all the safety improvements that have happened over the years. I felt sick to my stomach, sad, excited, and happy during the whole race!
FYI -
"The No. 71 Ferrari was involved in the incident that triggered Mike Rockenfeller's huge accident in the Audi just before midnight, and Kauffman who had been driving the car, was later disqualified for failing to react to blue flags 10 times during the race. But while Waltrip admitted that the team had endured its tribulations over the weekend, he believed it could improve in future attempts."
http://www.racer.com/waltrip-hopes-f...MC-RACER_DAILY
06-17-2011, 02:16 PM
#137
Addict
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
If Rocky doesn't have such a huge wreck, I wonder if the ACo would have DQ'ed Kaufman. You see virtually every car appear to ignore blue flags, in all series. If they don't feel they can get over, they don't, but instead move when they feel that it's safe to do so. How many Porsches as well as every other GT series car ignored blue flags, and how many times? I'm not really trying toi come to bat for Kaufman, but if ya ain't in his seat or Rocky's seat, ya just can't know for certain what happened.
