Quote from Mysho :

Seniecka I am waiting for your re-cap video, even better than last year. Will it come in the future?

This was such an emotional race. Also full year of waiting for this show to fire up again. I feel like I just HAVE TO get my ass around there at least once in my life.

Oh wow, you even remember that video? Damn, mate You really surprised me. I feel pleased. Well, as long there is someone who remembers my stuff and waits for upcoming projects, I am up for makin' new stuff. I was actually about to skip this time makin' a review video of this year's Le Mans 24h, but after your request I might do a review again. It's all about recognition. If people like it, it gives me motivation to work on. Simple as that. So yeah, thanks for your support, Mysho. It definitely gives me a motivation boost.

@Becky Rose - Well I can't call myself a hardcore Le Mans 24h race fan. I've been watching this enduro race since 2007 or 2008, so I can't say if that problem at the final stage is Aston Martin's tradition, so I'll rely on you, hehe.

Quote from ACCAkut :

sorry that I have a real live and went out with some friends for a few hours :P

Simonsens death really downs the mood and an article about it one a major german news site is already being spamend by eco-hipsters condemning his death as a sign for the decent of motosport, while other commenters yell at the motorsport community for not mourning as much for every child dying of Aids in Africa. German commenters are weird (at last on spiegel.de)

In my first research through the media I realised that the regular press (excluding sport or motorsport focused ones) largely didn't deactivate the comment function, which in my eyes is a must when reporting of someone's death. When someone dies there is no need to express one's thoughts on such a platform. Statements that imply that he was a death-searching person where one has to be happy that he didn't take someone with him are not fair, but most of the time these are expressed in a way, that the editors don't filter them for a wrong understanding of freedom of opinion or because they think the same. Not every sport journalist accepts motorsport as sport and special motorsport journalists are rare in the editorial staff of common media. It simply is a niche.

Quote from seniecka :

Oh wow, you even remember that video? Damn, mate You really surprised me. I feel pleased. Well, as long there is someone who remembers my stuff and waits for upcoming projects, I am up for makin' new stuff. I was actually about to skip this time makin' a review video of this year's Le Mans 24h, but after your request I might do a review again. It's all about recognition. If people like it, it gives me motivation to work on. Simple as that. So yeah, thanks for your support, Mysho. It definitely gives me a motivation boost.

I actually have downloaded it from youtube to my HDD and watched it from time to time throughout the 2012 - 2013 as I didn't find better review on internet for my liking. Only thing I didn't like about your vid is that it was kinda cutted off and you totally skipped night / morning / finishing part, but the rest was awesome. So that's why I remembered it. If you're up for next vid, do it longer, but stay within the same (your personal) style, there is nothing wrong with that.

edit/ I think you even can use same music, it fits so well. But oh well, not my decision. Just refreshed memories, in all the hype of 2013 race. 2012 was awesome, too! God I love Le Mans and WEC overall. Orgasm.

Quote from TFalke55 :

snip.

You have that on a large portion of articles on the spiegel page. Mostly people that reach their peak adrenalin level when they run with scissors, so it's best not to argue and just ignore.

RIP, died what he loved doing.

Amateur view of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIVpzKqCLBE

Slightly blocked view to the impact.

Just to mention, track was wet at Tertre rouge on lap 2, on that last amateur video you can see my car spinning out few seconds before Simonsen (#43 Morgan Judd LMP2).

He was just really unlucky to lost it that way at to hit the barrier exactly where there is one of those 5 stupid trees that are next to the track at the begining of Mulsanne straight. Btw everyone in the pitlane knew it was serious as they stopped the CCTV camera one minute after the crash. It took them 3 SC lap to remove Simonsen from his car and some rumors states that he actually died because of a stroke on the impact (75g maximum lateral deceleration).

That's just a reminder of how motorsport is dangerous, this year was really a difficult race with a lot of drizzles which makes the track really slippery. I haven't seen so many crashes during qualifying for quite a while.

From Dr. James Norman

Quote :

Allan Simonsen. Although we do not know the actual cause of death of Alan Simonson at yesterday’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, reports are that he was conscious and talking when rescue workers first tended to him, only to have him become unconscious a few moments later, to be pronounced dead a short time later. He was driving in one of the most modern sedan-type cars (not open-cockpit) and his factory sponsored Aston Martin had every possible modern piece of safety equipment. This in car video from the car behind shows the likely cause (our opinion) of Allan’s crash was acceleration of the car while the left rear tire was on the painted (and very slick in the wet) blue line. There was no evidence of penetrating injuries, and no evidence of blunt force trauma. Thus the likely cause of this terrible tragedy is almost certainly to be related to a sudden deceleration injury, either to the brain, or to the aorta.

http://blog.parathyroid.com/ra ... cal-causes-racing-deaths/

Quote from luki97 :

Didn't Dale Earnhardt had heart attack or some other health problem just right before his crash?

Dale died because of his refusal to wear a HANS device,normally the helmet would strike the steering wheel with a impact like that but the side contact knocked his head to the right,then forwards when it impacted the wall.
Without the wheel to prevent his head from moving to far forward, his head was dislocated from the spine,causing massive damage to the nervous system and almost instant death,that was an easily survivable impact,but a combination of factors led to his death.
Alot of missing safety features, that we take for granted nowadays, was mostly to blame,yes there was a problem with his belt but surgeons and medical staff have said that it didnt contribute to the cause,it wasnt compulsory to wear a HANS device but at the following race 41 of the 43 drivers wore them and NASCAR made it a rule the following season.

Regarding Allan`s death,it looks like he suffered from massive swelling to the brain and internal bleeding,effectively a stroke,may he rest in peace,he died doing what he loved
Tango

Quote from MoMo92i :

and some rumors states that he actually died because of a stroke on the impact (75g maximum lateral deceleration).

Apparently this was said on German Eurosport... I guess that figure could be plausible, but I don't understand who and why would have leaked it and so quickly (on Saturday). The official investigation (since it happend on a public road) certainly has not finished if even really started yet.

Quote from deggis :

Amateur view of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIVpzKqCLBE

Slightly blocked view to the impact.

Looks like he did hit the barriers from his side.

It's left hand drive...

Quote from Töki (HUN) :

It's LHD.

Shouldn't be LHD. Most WEC cars are RHD because the anti-clockwise circuits on the calander are few, and the main track of all > La Sarthe is a clockwise circuit, so you benefit from a RHD car. Even the LMP1's are RHD but I don't know catagorically, normally cars that run at Le Mans are RHD.

Although with not alot of research it appears the GT2 Vantage is LHD, which doesn't make sense in any way.

Quote from BlueFlame :

Shouldn't be LHD. Most WEC cars are RHD because the anti-clockwise circuits on the calander are few, and the main track of all > La Sarthe is a clockwise circuit, so you benefit from a RHD car. Even the LMP1's are RHD but I don't know catagorically, normally cars that run at Le Mans are RHD.

Although with not alot of research it appears the GT2 Vantage is LHD, which doesn't make sense in any way.

So, none of the GTE cars are normal then? A lot of the LMPs are (but for example Toyota isn't), but the Vantage is not a LMP.

Well US oriented sports cars such as the Viper don't count because in the US, anti-clockwise circuits are alot more common.

But in all seriousness back in the 90's and beyond, alot of the cars weren't built for world domination, they were only built the tackle Le Mans, and thus were RHD.

Times change I guess!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v ... e=player_detailpage#t=84s

Slower speed but the crash is identical.

not really, different angle of impact, way different speed the initial way he lost the car was somewhat exaggerated, whilst Allan's was a wet curb, this was a overcorrection.

Quote from Dennis93 :

not really, different angle of impact, way different speed the initial way he lost the car was somewhat exaggerated, whilst Allan's was a wet curb, this was a overcorrection.

Just seemed that the snap to the left was a carbon copy

Quote from Dennis93 :

not really, different angle of impact, way different speed the initial way he lost the car was somewhat exaggerated, whilst Allan's was a wet curb, this was a overcorrection.

+1

Allan's one was lateral G mainly + hitting a tree which doesn't absorb any energy.

@Deggis : You would be impressed how fast rumors are broadcasted through the whole pitlane ! Faster than Audi change an alternator !

Quote from MoMo92i :

@Deggis : You would be impressed how fast rumors are broadcasted through the whole pitlane ! Faster than Audi change an alternator !

That's the thing... a rumor. Until the official investigation is finished, there is a reason to believe it is BS.

Hopefully there is gonna be a tyre barrier next year as a lesson from this terrible accident...

Quote from Mysho :

Hopefully there is gonna be a tyre barrier next year as a lesson from this terrible accident...

Hopefully either one of those expensive licenced FIA Tecpro barriers, or perhaps one of those pressurised water ones they use at Indianapolis.

Tyre barriers are okay, but when it comes to the speeds involved at La Larthe I suspect they might not be adequate in and of themselves.

The reality is that the circuit is simply one of the fastest race tracks in the world - to put it in perspective it's only in recent times that the main straight has been tamed by not one, but two chicanes, because apparently 405kmh was just too much. Yes, over 400 bloody kmh! Even now the lap is 85% full throttle and there's only 1 slow corner in over 8 miles of circuit.

Le Mans is extreme in more than just the running time of the race, that's one of the reasons why it's so special.

And when you put that into perspective, one does begin to wonder just why the barrier design is straight out of the 1970's... Afterall, according to Eurosport the ACO is a cash rich organisation which can afford to invest in the circuit.

Well... one thing the ACO also should think about is to find a different solution to the rails around the track. One speculation said on German Eurosport in the nightsession was that due to the fact that the pillars of rails are just put into the earth, and the earth being relatively loose and wet, the reparation time went up like it did. Maybe also a repavement of the road might be appropriate. On the Hunaudieres only the "two center lanes" are proper road they said, with a 2cm edge to the extra tarmac right and left of the road. Those outside bits have a different grain (and therefore grip), which was basically shown by Makowiecki's accident. But I think it is easier said then done, as everything outside of the permanent track is public property.

There is a lot of discussion, but most ideas regarding track safety on the public road bits boiled down to the fact that those roads are used as normal roads for ~350 days a year, and only for two races (24h and some motorcycle race). Residents don't want to have stuff in front of their gardens thats more or less useless in normal traffic. And for years it worked OK like this.

Now with Alans death I hope they do bigger changes. Some simple tire barriers might have done the trick

Quote from deggis :

It's left hand drive...

I thought he didnt hit the wall from his side, from previous videos it looked liked that...

Quote from ACCAkut :

There is a lot of discussion, but most ideas regarding track safety on the public road bits boiled down to the fact that those roads are used as normal roads for ~350 days a year, and only for two races (24h and some motorcycle race). Residents don't want to have stuff in front of their gardens thats more or less useless in normal traffic. And for years it worked OK like this.

Now with Alans death I hope they do bigger changes. Some simple tire barriers might have done the trick

They already do have some barrier all year in front of their house, but when you buy an house their, you already know that and accept to live with it. To be honest the main problem is that Le Mans is 13.629 km long and that's an "old school" track.

When rumors comes from marshalls, drivers on the radio and doctors, that starts to be credible. You would be really astonished if you knew what really happened sometimes ^^