If anyone is checking in occasionally on the Sebring 12H you may be confused. This might help a bit. 39 of the first 106 laps were under yellow.....the leaders are currently only on lap 123. Also, there was a red flag, only the second in the history of the event.
Yes & the officials really screwed up yet again. IMSA Admits Incorrect Calls at Sebring - Sportscar365
Those were not the only instances of poor calls and officiating, though they may rank at the top of the list due to the way the officials' compounded errors doubled down against a twice blameless driver and car. If I correctly understood that particular penalty call, what the article fails to make fully clear is the penalty (stop-and-hold plus 80-second) was assessed because the second incident of 'unavoidable contact' made it a repeat offense. The officials thought both of those contact incidents against the #49 were caused by the #22 car when in reality the #22 was involved in neither of them. They made an incorrect blame call once, then later made an almost identical incorrect blame call, again against the wrong car, for a separate incident. Then, apparently without reviewing anything to make sure they had their facts straight before assessing such a severe penalty, penalized one car for incidents actually caused by two others! I understand Elkins' point that it's virtually impossible to reverse the penalty in practical terms during the race. Can't physically transport the penalized car up the road a couple minutes to put it back where you think it might be if it hadn't been on pit road serving an undeserved penalty. But unless they tried to do something that messed up the race(s) of others in the process it wouldn't be a case of adding a second wrong to the first. Maybe they could have given the lap they lost back to them during one of the subsequent full course yellows? I don't know, just seems like they could have done something. Bare minimum, seems to me like a sign they need a significant change in how those penalty decisions are made.
Holy crap. Here is your link to what appears to be an accurate rundown of what actually happened. Wow. Marshall Pruett's summary salvo lifted from an article for Road & Track. If you're interested at all, go read the full story (here), watch the clip, etc. And, just for good measure, one more snip that might convince you to make the jump to the full article. Keep in mind that the guilty car was found to be the #912. 912. That's important. Oh, and then the #912 went on to win the GTLM class.....
This is way beyond stupid. They took a race win away from AJR. Yep they was robbed. :incazzato::mad2::mad5::incazzato:
A letter from Memo Gidley via AIM motorsports: A Thank-You Letter from Memo Hello everybody and thanks so much for your support! I wish I could respond and say thank you individually to everyone who has written and posted well wishes on various websites and forums... but recovery and healing have been absolutely non-stop for me. I have gone through a lot of difficult and painful things in my life and on the journey to the top of racing. But these last two months, since my Daytona crash, have easily taken the cake as the hardest and most painful. However, as difficult as this has been, I feel so unbelievably lucky because I am confident I can heal and get back to the Gidley I was before. As lucky as I feel, I also know my journey ahead will require so much dedication and commitment. I was in the hospital bed for nearly 5 weeks and I lost something like 20lbs of bodyweight... mostly muscle. I currently get surprised often how it takes to get this... actually really any muscle back on my thin frame. I broke and fractured something like 12 bones so this makes me working at an injured level that I have never been to in my life. The physical therapy from this point is overwhelming if you try to think of all the work. I have my up and down days... but I know every day I will give it my complete effort and work as hard as I can. As a racer... or person that has never been in a difficult situation like this, I have so much respect now for those who have. I want to, once again, thank everyone who has helped me...in so many ways. All of the IMSA Tudor Championship safety people who got me out of the unbelievably wrecked DP and got me to the hospital, as well as the entire Tudor Series organization and leader, Jim France. All of the people that helped me at Daytona Halifax hospital. Nurses, helpers etc., and the surgeons that did such a fantastic job operating on my numerous broken bones...something like twelve fractures, from what I understand. And all of my friends, various team members, and so many people that came out to see me at the Daytona Halifax hospital during that first week while I was beginning my recovery. Thanks. My team, Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing. Bob and his team have been so great to me. What an awesome group of people that have given me so much support. Thank you. My Mom and girlfriend, who have been by my side daily, and to my young daughter and all of my family. So many thanks and so much love to all of them. All of my current physical trainers and helpers and medical professionals from various places who have gotten me to this point... and will help me get to the future. All of the thousands of fans and friends who have shown me their support. From cards, emails, texts, Facebook and Twitter posts, forums, articles, etc. etc. I have faced some really difficult days - please know that all of you got me to the next day. Thanks so much... please know how grateful I am. Also, the race teams that applied #All4Memo decals on their race cars for the 12 Hours of Sebring...that was awesome. I'm sure I missed a few folks - forgive me, but know that I'm thankful. I am thankful to everyone who wants me to recover. And just so all my friends know, last Friday I took my first steps using just a walker. I was able to put all my weight on my two legs and walk around the inside of the physical therapy center! It was awesome to be up using my own power! I have a lot of work ahead of me, but because of the people behind me, and my determination, I will heal and get strong again. Thanks, again, to all those Memomaniacs! I love you all and will get back out onto the racetrack as soon as I can and make you proud!
Heard somewhere that Alex Job will be going to the WC due to the big time screwing he got at Sebring.
It was another really exciting race, although there was much less passing with the big open field since only a few of the classes participated. Long Beach is always one of my favorites. Here's our coverage for those interested: BMW Team RLL Retains the Lead at Long Beach Once Again - Stance Works
Sad. Two good series that have been totally hosed up by consolidation, poor management and constant last second rule changes.
It looks like the P2s can't keep up with the DPs as they are now. The rest will probably be gone before the end of the year. I feel bad for Make Shank Racing being wrecked by others multiple times. Yucaman should be in nascarp where he can bang into people all he wants.