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Le Mans sports prototype cars flipping - six in four months


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#1 F1Fanatic.co.uk

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Posted 12 June 2008 - 09:16

I read on Autosport about Hideki Noda's crash in qualifying at Le Mans which it describes as the sixth flip for a sports prototype car since March - including Stephane Ortelli crashing at Monza and Marc Gene flipping a Peugeot at Le Mans.

Although these crashes are not quite the same as the famous Dumbreck/Webber Mercedes Le Mans crashes of 1999 they're still alarmingly violent and dangerous.

Does something need to be done to stop the cars taking off? Is it always going to be a problem with sports prototype cars? Are we going to see more of this type of thing at Le Mans this weekend?

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#2 Ross Stonefeld

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Posted 12 June 2008 - 09:24

You get around 200mph and show the underside of the car (which is a huge flat rectangle) to the airflow and away you go....

#3 Frans

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Posted 12 June 2008 - 09:27

Part of the design ..... Those crashes look freakin' freaky, as they are.... But I guess there's not much they can do about it no....

#4 Andy35

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Posted 12 June 2008 - 09:43

Isn't there a roof hatch in NASCAR so the car does not flip? Or is it to stop it going backwards too fast? Or is it so Robby Gordon can thank God personally before he even gets out of the car? :confused:

Regards

Andy

#5 roadie

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Posted 12 June 2008 - 10:08

What are the minimum weights in LMP1 and LMP2?

#6 glorius&victorius

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Posted 12 June 2008 - 10:48

LM is soo cool!

#7 Frans

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Posted 12 June 2008 - 10:52

Isn't there a roof hatch in NASCAR so the car does not flip?


:rolleyes: Is there a earodynamic NASCAR car? ......

#8 F1Fanatic.co.uk

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Posted 12 June 2008 - 12:34

ACO to change the cars for 2009: Aero rules to change after accidents

#9 Kooper

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Posted 12 June 2008 - 12:41

Originally posted by AndyW35
Isn't there a roof hatch in NASCAR so the car does not flip? Or is it to stop it going backwards too fast? Or is it so Robby Gordon can thank God personally before he even gets out of the car? :confused:

Regards

Andy


slows it down going backwards plus helps keep the car 'sucked' to the ground rather than flipping.

NASCAR can't build enough devices to keep Robby Gordon from screwing up ;)

#10 jcbc3

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Posted 12 June 2008 - 13:23

Originally posted by F1Fanatic.co.uk
ACO to change the cars for 2009: Aero rules to change after accidents


From the article:

..."We need to look at the performance of the cars. We want to reduce downforce, which in turn will reduce corner speeds. All aero devices on the bottom of the cars will be banned for 2009."...



Wasn't the decisive factor in the Merc flippings of the late nineties (and the Porsche at Road Ameriva) that they had flat bottoms, i.e. no aero devices on the bottom of the cars?

I'm not an engineer but that sound likes a half ass solution to me. They have to look at the causes for the accidents in order to solve the associated problems. Noda flipped because he hit the gravel. Nothing to do with the underside design. Gene slid of the circuit because it was damp and hit the guardrail and then flipped. Nothing to do with the underside design. Ortelli spun sideways underbraking. It flipped as air was caught under the car, HOWEVER the car was sideways as it happened and on the grass.

So back to the drawing board ACO.

#11 F575 GTC

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Posted 12 June 2008 - 13:41

The three flips mention - Noda, Ortellia and Gene where as Jcb3 said, they flipped purely because the car either hit something or bounced upwards. The three McLaren CLR flips back at Le Mans in 1999 where due to the car going over a crest and catching air from the car infront (in the case of Dumbreck, the Toyota GT-ONE infront). The Porsche 911-GT1 at Road America was also because of a car infront and the airflow getting under the car.

Not entirely sure about the underside of the car having a flat bottom or not :( Least on the plus side though, everybody has walked away from these crashes.

#12 FAUST!!!

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Posted 12 June 2008 - 13:52

The article was posted about two weeks ago in the Le Mans thread. Again for some of you it can bring a bit of understanding about the issue.

Mulsane Corner

just scroll down a little bit :cool:

#13 pingu666

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Posted 12 June 2008 - 15:05

i dont think corner speed is much of a issue tbh, removing underfloor downforce would give racing like F1, oh yay :rolleyes:

nascar style flaps, and mandating open area's in the floor so air can pass through upwards might be a better way to go..