24h LeMans Rockenfeller heavy Crash

[@anononomous]

Absolutely terrifying. I watched this live and I don't think I've ever been more convinced that I just watch a fatal accident. The LMP1 safety cells are unbelievable. Also the old rule that the more spectacular and more bits flying off the car the better seems to often hold true

[@no-damn-alias]

all those flying bits need energy to fly and that also dissipates energy of the crash. So yes your assumption was correct

[@Pizza.Samurai]

@intrptr to be honest, it's hard to really judge in the pitch black of night which direction the driver in the back will be coming towards due to the audi high rate of speed. But from the looks of it, that ferrari driver had a lot of time to notice and make the right decision.

[@Normally_aspirated]

@Fikki96 : In a nutshell, yes. Its a pretty simple concept- the impact causes x amount of damage, so the more damaged the car is, the less damaged the driver will be. If you watch old racing videos from the 20's and 30's- they used to build race cars like tanks. They would hit something and the car would be fine, but the driver would be completely busted up.

[@ALS_HRZN]

that Ferrari was a criminal lol

[@chanman4rings]

@Crossdrop Good post, the Ferrari driver only saw Timo in his mirrors and had no idea there was another Audi right behind Timo. McNish saw Timo slowing up and because it's a race he went to pass Timo. McNish said he had no idea there was a Ferrari right in front of Timo. So McNish was really only passing his teammate and was already committed by the time the Ferrari turned in on him. He had no idea the Ferrari was there and the Ferrari had no idea there were two Audis behind him.

[@powersurge001]

@Ramathustra it is mandatory to let the LMP pass, but it is NOT mandatory to move out of the way immediately. the GT car has just as much right to follow his racing line. the audi tried to shoot through a gap that was not there in the first place when the GT driver was blinded by his lights, he caused himself to crash. yes the ferrari driver did not continue the race because audi complained to the ACO, and it doesnt mind bullying small private teams to appease the big factory teams.

[@MrRW26]

@Ramathustra also as well. he only just got his licence 2 week before le mans started which was another enquiry.

[@ProjectVIN]

@ProjectVIN Yeah look up Jo Bonnier (rare). EXACT same situation but renowned driver Vic Elford called it a mistake on Jo's part, not the Ferrari driver.

[@Krys_P]

@91rEvis He was overtaking safely. Look at the lines on the track from the onboard cam. The ferrari cut the Audi up. Also the Audi flashed the lights meaning he was going for the overtake. And the audi was already past the Ferrari before there was contact

[@Mcard1204]

If you look at mcnish's crash Rockenfeller was right behind him and probably thought "did I dodge a bullet or what"

[@Crossdrop]

@shpuker Naa, in McNish's case, the Ferrari held his line perfectly - his line through the inside of that corner. He just wasn't able to see McNish since the other audi was in his mirrors nad would not pass. So that - for him - was a reason to drive through the inside, which was his line ;-)

[@st0n3r]

the more bits there are flying off, the less energy there is around the driver, the less hurt he is going to be is absolutely right

[@michaeljdrost]

@Ramathustra Which is unjust, because he (Kaufman) simply held his racing line as any faster driver (Rocky) should expect. He tried to pass a slower car at a very difficult spot and failed. Just think what the response would have been if Kaufman swerved to the outside to make way, at the time when Rocky tried to go round the outside. It is difficult with these lights to judge where the faster car behind you is. Stick to your line and let the faster driver decide where and how!

[@Ramathustra]

@VinceNakano Robert Kaufman. He was a little later excluded from the race for not holding his line and not letting the Audi pass after ten flashes of the headlights.

[@hashfromjc]

@Evillag2103 That Ferrari is in a different class and it was a long bend he could have kept his line fine without losing any time but he decided to cut the audi off that is 3x faster than his car.

[@iiDangerCloseBK]

@Crisgo3d Yea I can't wait to see them at Sebring either. I'm going for my second time this year haha! I heard about the new Toyota's but I don't know much about them. Can't wait to see them.

[@userbadshah]

@pandaxr so staying in line means faster car will brake if its behind slower car while Indicating for overtake b4 100 meters?? Ferrari came into 2nd half of the road where it cud stay in the 1st half as AUDI isnt going to overtake him by going left and coming right...

[@ProjectVIN]

I don't know how to feel regarding Kaufman. That second kink there on that straight has been a point of contention ever since much faster prototypes began competing alongside GT cars. A similar incident killed Jo Bonnier in (I think) '72. Fact is, after several hours just driving a GT car through that kink at near top speed is probably a handful in itself, much moreso with a prototype doing a good 50 mph faster than you. It's kind of like being on foot in the middle of a freeway.

[@GOTMAXPOWER]

Drivers were complaining in the race that the Audi's lights were too bright (up to a mile away they were visible on the mulsanne) so they couldn't tell how close they were because they just see a glare of light, that could've been a cause of this crash, at the start of this video the Audi lights are so bright you can't see the Ferrari infront of it.

[@sesselfurzer2000]

The rulebook says that you have to give way to cars of quicker classes. By that rule, Kaufman should have sticked to the outside line instead of cutting across the track again. That spot is not a difficult spot to lap a car, because it is just a little kink which is driven with full throttle by any class car. Considering that, Kaufman would not have lost any time if he had sticked to the outside line.

[@azapro911]

I remember hearing that the driver in question was a competent one, but had little experience of full-shift night driving. The organisers said during the race that they would clamp down harder on potential entries that couldn't prove reasonable night driving expertise in future. There's no really good view of the crash because the cameras had recently been locked-off for the night. This one shows the front angle, a CCTV camera showed the reverse, Mike's onboard shows the violence of it.

[@DoPMN]

@ igotta fc & Sch3lks: it's Rockefeller's fault. The LMP1 & 2 need to go round the GT's safely, and the GT's are even told by the briefing that they have to keep their racingline to decrease the misunderstandings. The fact that the LED's are just a massive bundle of light are also a problem as the Ferrari driver can't judge how close the Audi is. Anyway, misunderstandings will be always there, let's just hope that nobody get's injured.

[@theanushnair]

@simontemplar1969 i dont think r18 was released in 2005 :P xD

[@22kaka22gerrard]

In response to the comment below ; in the day the GT traffic was taking the outside line (it is only a kink after all) should've been easy for a prototype! Gt traffic after all was told to hold their line and let faster cars find a way past :)

[@mikalebg]

The ferrari "held the racing line" true but that does not mean its not his fault .Its the same "racing line" of a prototype car he ( the ferrari ) is not racing for position , the line of a much faster car that was flashing its lights trying to avoid an accident . And how can anybody ensure a safe pass at night on a two lane track at 180 MPH ????

[@pandaxr]

I can assure you that the Ferrari didnt make any kind of fault. He just stayed on his clear line. Thats what everbody has been told in the prerace briefings. Especially when youre overtaken by a prototype.

[@streamlinedman]

There's no excuse at night for not seeing the headlights of a fast prototype barreling down on you. The GTE Am class is a disaster.

[@Ramathustra]

@powersurge001 at le mans when a faster car is approaching, the slower car HAS TO let them pass. It's MANDATORY. The driver of the Ferrari was actually banned from continuing the race, leaving his team with only two drivers, for not staying on the outside line and cutting inside the last second, therefore causing the crash.

[@ilferrari]

Running cars with huge performance differentials in the same race is asking for this kind of thing

[@AssassinJordi]

@sad4ewer Good thing you didn't completely at fail spelling it, even though his name is right up there in the video title

[@Crossdrop]

@shpuker Of course he does, everyone does so in a corner, coming from the outside, driving through the inside. GT are also allowed to do that ;-) It was jsut impossible to see McNish behind the No1 Audi. So he thought he had a clear line, only realising that there is a second audi when they already crashed. You cann see it from the No1's onboard - it was all so fast there was no time to react. I think McNish's maneuver was just too risky for a 24h race. You won't win 24h a race like that....

[@pandaxr]

And he didnt change line, there was a corner. So he just took the corner.

[@killionaireVR]

how many audis have they crashed

[@janderijk19]

@simontemplar1969 this was 2011

[@simontemplar1969]

when? year please!!

[@hhh1950]

In a fast corner like that with a faster car with flashing lights coming up from behind, you leave enough space for him to pass.

[@molomono]

This one really looks deliberate. The other crash was just bad judgment.

[@ULTRANOO8]

Surely he can take the outside line before the corner if the Ferrari hasn't move aside but require big balls to do that which is....well...

[@iiDangerCloseBK]

@Crisgo3d No Allan's crash was way worse. First off they weren't even an hour into the race and he was racing to competitively. And second if you go and re watch his crash he was just inches from possibly killing several camera men. Both were astonishing wrecks and it sucked that the new R18's had such a shitty first year at Le Mans. Peugeot isn't racing anymore because they ran out of money so hopefully Audi will have a better year this year.

[@MAHILfilms]

Again a crash while a car is overtaking a Ferrari 458 at the right side

[@superneddy]

@100milnic Never mind it could have killed him. Should have been banned for driving like that. Rockenfeller was flashing his lights at him like crazy.its not like Kaufman could have not seen him

[@userbadshah]

Ferrari changed the line even when Rockenfeller was flashing the lights b4 100meters but u know Driver cant actually judge in night how close he is closing..... But still he shud nt hv moved into his line at all...leaving him on grass vl sure make him hit the walls!!

[@andries9493]

@igottafc u clearly don't know the rules. gt cars are instructed to keep race line, that means that lmp cars have to go on the outside. He didn't many times and this time it went wrong. Ferrari couldn't have known he was going on the inside because he shouldn't.

[@Marc250294]

@simontemplar1969 This year... 2011 ;)

[@chz4832]

2 ferraries have have had contatcs with audi and both of the times, there have been heavy crashes -.-

[@resomer]

@1shababi two crashed. the third one finished and won the 24h race

[@bobtelco]

ferrari is alway guilty of causing the worst crases

[@CopmanZ]

is the driver dead?

[@parampam92]

the speed difference is way too BIG! btw im fans of ferrari, but only in formula one. in le mans, those ferrari drivers are as silly as hell tho!

[@GabrielsToolBox77]

Is the Ferrari allright?

[@baujahr90er]

thank god, he survived!

[@alehax27]

I don't think it's the ferrari's fault. The audi came in like a bat out of hell and tried to overtake on the inside.

[@robnelsonbayvillage]

Thankful he escaped injury!

[@RickdV96]

@Sch3lks don't blame the car... blame the driver

[@Wastum]

Jong, kaas is lekker!

[@DanteGonxhja]

Damn it second Ferrari causing a crash

[@haeltacforce]

did he died?

[@Crossdrop]

@shpuker Okay, lol - Yeah this one here is definitely the Ferrari's fault. No way to discuss about that :-D

[@ozysimpson]

did he die

[@Regret696]

Both of the audi's got taken out by ferrari, I'm starting to see a pattern....

[@henkdevries111]

should've overtaken left, as he learned in driver's school xP

[@ot2kloon]

@FTWmickyWTF Ja, ik tweet 't!

[@boogalooshrimpable]

lol! theres always a ferrari involved in a crash! see allan mcnish!

[@Jorcap]

Sorry for this, but it seems like the 458 italia's know that, if they dont ''burn'' down, they feel like doing it to others :P Hope he's alright!

[@maicel35]

@wesley19961 ja jij tuurlijk -_-

[@SexySnork]

Ja pierdole, od kiedy sie z prawej strony bez kierunków wyprzedza...

[@Kert137]

bad 24h of le Mans this year but they win with one car :)

[@serpenttao]

@nick26695 Maar ze zijn wel vet lekker!

[@dylanBBE]

ooit gehoord van sambal kaas?? dies ook goed

[@maicel35]

is ie dood???

[@COBOListhefuture]

@thedennisgame Ik houd van nagelkaas met echte nagels erin.

[@hardmusiclover1996]

kaas is baas...

[@TripleZ89]

STRANGE... Ferrari is out to get Audi! XP

[@about_tomaso1]

what the fuck is the ferrari driver doing there... omg

[@hardmusiclover1996]

@FTWmickyWTF kaas = baas...

[@parampam92]

i'd better hit that ferrari than crashing hard like that.

[@srithongkunmapvlogs]

@CGBeatz lol

[@serpenttao]

@nick26695 Frikandelbroodje!

[@alwayslastinclass]

Poor... rock.

[@ivartjeh]

oude kaas is de beste

[@igottafc]

it was the ferraris fault

[@linktm2]

omg

[@FTWmickyWTF]

Khou van kaas.

[@PipedUpCino1]

i would have done the same thing. Try and cut me off on a highway and i'll floor it as soon as you try and pass me, if it leads you to your death, then thats what you get. Shouldnt have tried to pass in the first place

[@Frank0Marum]

@FTWmickyWTF haha, deze reactie is leuker dan de video zelf. XD

[@MrDirtDrifter]

@FTWmickyWTF ik niet

[@FTWmickyWTF]

Khou van kaas

[@Pedro090000]

OMG

[@blahblahstimpy]

The Ferrari didn't cause this. It kept on the racing line (as they are supposed to), Rocky should have gone around the outside..Anyway, great to hear Rocky is alright

[@klikoboef69]

good job done ferrari

[@BlueMaster94]

@FTWmickyWTF Vet zak

[@thedennisgame]

mijn moeder houd van kaas zonder pitten.

[@klikoboef69]

good job done ferrari.

[@Sammy_Paparazzi]

fault ferrari

[@Sluntenpijper]

I Hate Audi