Audi RS5 safety car causes crash at Le Mans series race in France

Audi RS5 safety car failed to leave the track after the parade lap while the lights went full green

A safety car that didn't pull off the track after a green light has caused a pile-up crash at the Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track during the Le Mans series race there over the weekend.

The Audi RS5 safety car somehow failed to leave the track after the warm up lap and blocked traffic as the cars roared upon seeing the green lights come on above signaling a full-go.

The LMP1 cars immediately behind the safety car were able to see the safety car ahead of them but the GT cars further back on the grid didn't and began crashing into each other.

Watch the video and see how it takes even the announcers a moment to realize what had happened. At first, they believe the safety car had miraculously managed to come back onto the track after the crash. Only later do they realized the safety car had caused it.

Source: axisofoversteer

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RAPTOR77

This is not good advertisement for Audi ;-)

April 4, 2011 3:33 pm

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2 replies

freeway

sorry... "not good advertisement for Audi", but... what is exactly Audi to be blamed for in this situation?

April 5, 2011 5:34 am

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RAPTOR77

Yes, but Audi advertises in this way on the track. Driver of this car is clearly guilty, but the Audi display here, and not the driver ... and it affects the brand image ... simply!

April 5, 2011 4:18 pm

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SebXX

April's fool ?? :)

April 4, 2011 3:40 pm

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wcfuser14369

Hardly Audi's fault. Race Director should have either told the safety car to come in, or not the flicked the lights to green when it was clear to all that it hadn't.

April 4, 2011 3:45 pm

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1 reply

stylovale

Oh yes it is. Reminds me of Audi drivers on the Autobahn. They always believe they own the left lane. Never let pass anybody. Like this one.

April 5, 2011 12:18 pm

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samis

Catchy headline, but can you confirm that it really was safety car that was in error?

April 4, 2011 3:55 pm

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o3n1k

this clearly a miscommunication that caused the pile up! someone has got to take the blame!!!

April 4, 2011 3:56 pm

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GryphonPT

clear fault of the lights guy. notice the yellow flags all around the track at the beginning. a second formation lap was intended. i didnt watched the race, but people told me a porsche broken down in the formation lap...

April 4, 2011 4:25 pm

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v1bez

It's drivers fault, not car's fault.

April 4, 2011 4:26 pm

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1 reply

holmstar

No, it's the fault of the guy running the lights. They should never had went green while the safety car was on the track.

April 6, 2011 1:39 pm

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mslvckM3

My guess is the race commentators were calling the race by watching it on a studio monitor rather than being at the track itself. After the start the camera feed would not have stayed with the pace car, so they did not see that the pace car had not left the track. F1 coverage in the U.S. on Speed also often depends on an international video feed with the commentators not on site. This is what networks do these days to save money and sometimes it looks bad (remember Steve Martin videotaping the LA weather report in advance in the movie LA Story?)

April 4, 2011 4:34 pm

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Garais87

stupid drivers and i mean all of them one who drive rs5 and all them who crash, how we all now then every car have brakes :D

April 4, 2011 5:13 pm

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Ferraridude

OMG, I feel bad for those GT drivers. It kills me to see the 458 Italia crash. Imagine how mad the drivers are at the communications and the safety car driver.

April 4, 2011 7:00 pm

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Microice

Silly headline from WCF! I expect better. Now brace yourself for retarded comments...

April 4, 2011 7:09 pm

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Em_Corporation

SAFETY CAR_____screw the Audi

April 4, 2011 9:34 pm

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CarLife

This is proof Audi drivers can't drive.

April 5, 2011 1:29 am

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1 reply

andyjo3338

No matter what car was used as the pace car this would have happened, perhaps change your name to GetaLife?

April 5, 2011 7:04 am

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mickey_f1

the most annoying thing to me is the commentator and his dramatic speach... thank God we have Martin Brundle!

April 5, 2011 2:12 am

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may be the audi pacecar driver thought he was in a R10 TDI and he didn't need to pit.....

April 5, 2011 3:00 am

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zayak9

The caption says it all: Audi RS5 safety car failed to leave the track after the parade lap while the lights went full green. Not sure as to why it would be the fault of Audi verses the driver of the pace car for not leaving the track. But why would the lights be switched to green...does the Audi automatically switch the lights to green (ahhhh No) does the driver (ahhhh No again). So the real question is simply this. If you have reached the level these drivers "should" be and when you see the lights go to green and start accelerating and jocking for positions why do you force your car into another car for the position...?

April 5, 2011 9:03 am

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F10V8tt

What a slow safety car!

April 5, 2011 9:37 am

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DdW

It really sums up the knocked-out drivers' anger and frustration. Highly anticipating a go for a potential podium finish, and crashed just as the race started. I hoped they are alright.

April 5, 2011 10:24 am

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radmeister

Nubs, the yellow flags were waving before the lights went green, the lights should have not gone green, thats why the pace car didn't go off because the flag was yellow they were to go another lap around. The guy who hit the green lights messed up. As a matter of fact even in the in-car cam you can see the yellow flag being waved at the corner, i don't know why the drivers started accelerating and over-taking with yellow flags all around. The pace car had absolutely no fault, it was the race control who gave the green, and the drivers forgetting/not paying attention to all the yellow flags waving about.

April 5, 2011 12:25 pm

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norther

im sorry, to all audi haters. i believe the comments wouldve been the same if the car was an AMG or an bmw M. let us just be fair an objective. it has nothing to do with audi (i would remove the name of the car from the title because it is missleading) it is the drivers fault and/or the race director. so please, try to hold off irrelevant comments

April 5, 2011 2:04 pm

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