Is the Audi R18 Putting the Drivers Life at Risk?
I ask the question after looking at Allen Mcnish’s accident at the Le Mans 24hours in 2011. Mcnish collided with a Ferrari while passing him on the inside.
The Audi R18 was fired of the track into the barrier where it came to rest on it’s roof. It was not immediately obvious if Mcnish was okay but after a long wait the marshalls finally turned the car back over and Mcnish was able to get out.
Which brings me to my point. The car was upside down and there was no way Mcnish could get out if it because the doors open upwards. He is lucky there was no fire because of the accident because he would have been trapped.
I know the Audi R18 runs on diesel and I know that diesel is much less flammable than petrol which is perhaps why the doors are designed this way. ie Audi do not think that the fuel will ever catch fire so it doesn’t matter if the driver is trapped in the car. But what if it is caught in a crash with other petrol cars?
I know the chances of a firey crash are low, but the door issue seems to be such an obvious thing that could be changed why take the risk?
Generally though you have to say that the Audi R18 is extremely strong. Mcnish walked away and so did Rockenfeller whose crash was much, much bigger than Mcnish’s. Rockenfeller went of at thee fastest corner in Europe, if not the World and walked away from wreckage which could not be identified as a car.
So the Audi R18 is strong, it’s just has one obvious fault as I see it.
