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That's what I don't get about the ACO increasing the air restictors first to 2002 spec, then beyond that, if they're so concerned about keeping their 3:30 limit for LMP1 cars.
The Audi R10 and Peugeot 908 are atleast as aero efficient as the Audi R8 of days gone by. Just remember at Monza in '04, the pole winning R8 ran a lap of 1:34, the Pug ran a 1:31 4 years later. The Pug had 700hp, and the R8 had only 550, and less downforce(reduced span rear wing). I say give the R8 a full span rear wing, and the '02 air restictor(or for sure the '08 restrictor), and new tires, and the R8 would do at least a very low 1:32, for certian it would be on par with the Peugeot's time-and this is an almost 10 year old car! Imagine what Group C cars could do with modern technology!
I say if one is so concerned about saftey, either restict the cars(as the ACO has done in the past), or introduce new crash standards to make the cars safer. I understand modifying a track's layout to improve run off, but don't alter the racing surface itself unless there is no other recouse.
My feeling is that auto racing is inhearently dangerous, but so is just about everything else nowadays. You, me, anyone can die at anytime and we have no real control over it-the sad fact of life is that it will end and that it could end at anytime. At least race drivers do have some control over their distiny, but even that only goes so far.
It's been argued for several years that NASCAR should do away with the restictor plates at Daytona and Talledega, due to the saftey advances made in recent years. But NASCAR hasn't found a suitable solution(increase the drag to the levels of the truck series vehicles-which don't use restictor plates-and you'll still have large drafting packs and multi-car accidents, and reducing engine size will reduce thottle responce due to lack of torque. Fuel injection seems to be the only recourse, but NASCAR doens't want it right now). Some may say that the old fashioned nature of the NASCAR stock cars makes that proposition difficult. But at least the sportscars should be able to be slowed down without redesigning whole race tracks-but try telling that to the F1 guys.
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