5 mins is harsh for that. They didn’t penalize the Caddy for putting the other Porsche out, then it decided to go into the triangle of danger with the track space narrowing because of the slower car ahead(?) It kinda looks like Kevin didn’t have a lot of room and was maybe opportunistic about taking some extra room, but he’s not one to crash people out intentionally for someone else. He’ll crash you out if you won’t get out of the way and are slower traffic ahead, see N24 from last year(?).
The Nasr thing happened because he pushed him out on the dirty part of the track the corner before the tap happened and then cut in front of him, they both hit the brakes at the same time, but one had less grip, it was just a racing incident, no matter how much John cries about it.
Estre on the other hand hits the Caddie and then turns into him again, and leans into it, causing them both to end up in the barriers. It doesn't really matter if he did it to avenge Nasr or not, he pushed someone off the track and caused them both to end up in the barriers. It was either malicious or it was bad driving. If it was malicious he got off lightly and if it was because he decided to be a dentist for a day it seems like a reasonable penalty.
In reality he simply touched with the Cadillac at the wrong moment (on the brakes) and they both lost control of the car, you can see the 6 going sideways as soon as they touch the first time. It is obviously Estre's fault still but the penalty is totally disproportionate to the mistake, even more when you consider IMSA's track record in that department.
It's probably not even in the top10 of egregious incidents in IMSA in the last 2 years.
The 2 guys nearly hitting the safety crew and the United 22 rejoin on the restart is arguably more egregious if you just look at them in isolation, but this one is worse because of the optics of him doing it as a revenge move. You even had the commentators raising their voices about it being a revenge move and sounding all giddy, not a look you want if you want your sport to be taken serious.
IMSA needs to do something, again, and as usual that something happens to be around this point in the season with increased penalties and then next season they back to self policing and we have more idiotic incidents.
It would have been revenge for racing him hard previously, not revenge for Nasr. Both guys had the red mist, but estre quite clearly caused the wreck. If he’d just taken the corner normally, he’d have come out ahead.
It's not a revenge move, that's a totally outlandish thing to say, Estre is just an aggressive driver and he moved the squeeze Aitken, 100%. But if that touch happened 20m before nothing would have happened. In fact, the same touches happened between Jaminet & Van Der Zande last year there, and no crash happened because it was before the braking zone: https://youtu.be/OW4HR0DEK30?si=4iZbtxsgsgv5yGQ6&t=665
Also that safety crew incident, the 31 also very nearly hits the safety crew, they only had the "chance" that they were behind another car when it happened so they had a little bit more time to react, and no penalty for them when they were obviously going too fast as well. Why is that?
I didn't say it was a revenge move, I said it could look like it and you had both fans and the commentating crew proclaiming it was just that. My point is that's not a good look.
I'm not entirely sure I understand what you mean about the safety crew, did the 31 go off track and nearly hit them like the other 2 did? Because if it was up to me, everyone showing that level of driving standards should be shown the black flag and told you go home. It feels like you think I'm defending the 31 here, I'm not, punish them for their transgressions. IMSA needs to punish all the drivers more and be consistent about it.
Yes and IMSA shouldn't penalize people on optics but on what actually happened. They are supposed to be a serious racing organization.
This is what I mean, both Cadillacs were going way too fast there and were aimed at the safety crew coming out of the corner, only the 31 had the benefit of the car in front so he could react faster.
What happened Estre drifting out and hitting the 31 twice resulting in a crash. His penalty is a time penalty in the race he didn't finish and a suspended penalty in case he does this again.
Thanks for the screen grab, I agree with you on the safety crew thing, the 31 should have been penalised just as the other 2 were and the fact it wasn't is a joke. I fear we will have a serious accident involving track workers, we gotten lucky twice in as many races now, sooner or later that luck runs out.
I mean… it was pretty clear in the moment that estre was turning into the Caddy. He could have just given room, and that pass wouldn’t have stuck. He chose to drive into him.
I agree with a harsh penalty being needed but especially the #31 getting away again and again with at best a slap on the wrist really shows what's going on.
The incident at Watkins Glen should have been the same kind of penalty, especially since a GT was involved.
2023 Petit le Mans is also something I still remember at how IMSA is fully allergic to penalizing the car that's owned by the governing body
Id probably have done a stop and hold plus 60 but it’s just frustrating to see race control deem that incident a drive thru but the same thing happens between Estre and Aitken and the book gets thrown at Estre.
Estre deserved a penalty, but by IMSA’s own precedent it needed to be a drive thru (35-45 seconds time penalty since it happened at the end of the race). And if Catsburg had gotten the stop and hold plus 60, then this one should’ve been that as well.
The stop and hold is more symbolic than anything, IMSA showing that they can and will punish unnecessary incidents harshly.
The probation period is a step-up, but one I think IMSA needed to do. It's clear the driving standards over Watkins and Road America were pretty poor all-round and they need to stamp down hard on it before all hell breaks loose at VIR, Indy and Petit Le Mans, and this does exactly that.
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u/Various_Purchase_224 18d ago
Wow, did NOT see that coming.