The safety car rules at Le Mans have been modified for this year, significantly boosting the chances of a close finish. But the changes may not go down well with racing purists and long-term fans of the endurance classic. Opinion:
What a story it would be if the Le Mans 24 Hours produced a grandstand finish — perhaps the closest ever in its history — in this the centenary year for the French enduro. I reckon there’s a decent chance of its happening as the clock strikes four on 11 June, and I’m not making that prediction because the sell-out crowd is going to be watching one of the best fields in the top class in years with Toyota, Ferrari, Porsche et al.
New safety-car regulations will do away with the old procedure involving three course vehicles out on the 8.47-mile length of the Circuit de la Sarthe. Or at least there won’t be three safety cars out on track at the magic moment the field is released. Instead there will be just one, and the field will be lined up according to class — Hypercar at the front, of course — when the lights go out.
Being split off from the rest of the pack under the former safety car rules in 2018 allowed the #92 Porsche of Christensen, Estre and Vanthoor to dominate the GTE Pro classBut would an artificial short, sharp race to the flag courtesy of a late safety car be in the traditions of Le Mans? I ask that question as someone who has never hid his frustration at the surfeit of cautions over on the other side of the Pond at the Daytona 24 Hours.
Sport needs to be about fairness, which is why there has been a drive to mitigate the effects of caution periods on motor races A single safety car on a circuit measuring three and a bit miles is one thing, just the one on a track more than eight miles in length is quite another. A car crew might have a lead of say three minutes after something approaching 20 hours, and then have it wiped out by a safety car.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
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