[MulsanneMike]

Originally Posted by JAG

Put it this way, if you point to surface and elevation changes as the reasons for cars getting airbourne, at tracks that have been used for many years, and in the case of Monza by many different formulas, there's something flawed in the design of the cars.

We aren't talking major elevation changes like the old Mulsanne hump, every circuit has similar, minor, elevation changes, which implies LMP's are liable to take off at most tracks around the world!

Reducing laptimes and cornering speeds is a side issue to the airbourne problem, but you can deal with both together, either by re working current cars, or designing a new car from scratch.

PS, Hughes De Chaunac has said there is an aero problem with the cars when not pointing in the intended direction, while Nick Wurth at Acura has been investigating what happened in the recent incidents, indicating an aero issue (big or small), rather than the cars being a victim of the environment.



Theres no reason to think not, relatively simple aero changes could transform the cars, afterall F1 and Champ Cars are much quicker than an LMP1, while stockcars race week in, week out at 180mph plus with few airbourne incidents.

This is misleading as none of the cars has become airborne because of an elevation change. They've become airborne because they have yawed unexpectedly (mostly due to mechanical failure) while at or near maximum speed. Off track topography only gets a mention because it doesn't help in bleeding off velocity. And velocity is the great enemy in a yawing situation.


The suggestion that this is a new phenomenom is wrong as well. I have a list compiled by Yoshi Suzuka that cites incidents as far back as '66. The list is by no means comprehensive and he has only 20 incidents on it of which only 4 occured within the past 10 years.