Because of the different classes at the Le Mans 24 Hours, we often see prototypes and GT cars colliding during the course of the famous endurance event.
That’s already happened a few times in the first few hours of the 85th running of Le Mans, with prototypes and GT machines coming together in spectacular fashion.
Aside from the speed, technology, endurance and skill involved in finishing Le Mans, traffic management is a major element and often plays a huge role in deciding class wins.
In the second hour of the 2017 Le Mans race, the No.88 Proton Competition Porsche of Khalid Al Qubaisi in the GTE Am class was hit by the No.26 G-Drive LMP2 car of Roman Rusinov.
The LMP2 machine had misjudged a pass through the Porsche Curves and clattered both into the wall, with the two cars out of the race at such an early stage. Oops…
Then, just before the start of hour four, the No.43 Keating Motorsports LMP2 being driven by Ben Keating at the time smashed through some advertising hoardings after a clumsy move.
The Riley LMP2 had tried to dive down the inside of the No.91 Porsche of Richard Lietz but they banged wheels on the run to the Dunlop Chicane, which spun Keating off and through the gravel and sponsor boards.
Unlike the other incident, Keating was able to continue without too much damage. But, still, hardly the best way to start a 24-hour race. Fortunately, there’s time to make up the lost ground!
This all built up to a huge crash with 19 hours remaining, after Pierre Kaffer’s No.82 Ferrari was barged out of the way by Matthieu Vaxiviere’s No.28 TDS Racing LMP2 car.
Kaffer’s Ferrari was pitched heavily into the barrier due to the clash at the first Mulsanne chicane and brought the slow zones out once again.
LMP2 and GT cars just don’t get on, do they?
