|
I will retract one thing. The Ferrari's turn-in point, if the track had been clear, was not problematic in itself. I think I got a bit fouled up by some slow motion, close-up clips they showed later on in the coverage.
As has been pointed out, many passes of this type have been made at that exact spot for decades, with absolutely no problems. A GT car has the ability to stay in the outside lane through that section. In this case, I don't consider it an issue of a GT car having to "leap out of the way", but rather, of the GT driver being cognizant enough not to put himself in harm's way in the first place.
ACO rules of late, and this has NOTHING to do with fins or holes, haven't helped the general situation either. That is, the LMPs (both classes) have had power cuts, leaving aerodynamics as the primary means of getting that lap time back. Since gaining time on the straights through less drag is becoming less of an option, the designers are turning to increased downforce to aid in cornering speeds and in the braking zones. In other words, the places where the speed differentials are greater are shifting toward these more problematic zones. In order not to lose inordinate time, LMP drivers have no real choice other than to take increased risks in these areas.
Let's face it, no racing driver worth his mettle is just going to sit there behind a GT car through the Porsche Curves, and lose 20 seconds on the guy in front who has clean track. The irony in this example is that, historically, those passes on traffic in the Porsche Curves are even riskier than what Anthony Davidson was doing.
|