melo's pass on bergmeister ??

[m glassburner]

At the 12 hrs of sebring...last lap....melo ran him almost to the wall on the back straight..berg had the inside line intering turn 17 then melo tapped him exiting 17 ..and then bumped him again just after the exit causing berg to lift slightly allowing melo to win...it was Hard racing ...but a crappy way to win :(

[JimLill]

it's interesting that the last 2 notable occurances of this tap and pass thing were Melo's and JPM in NASCAR... both drivers are ex-Formula guys.........

[RSTPerformance]

Thats pro racing, not club racing, lots of $$$ on the line... and the Porche left the door WIDE OPEN at the exit allowing the situation. Both drivers made multiple mistakes on the last lap, making it a friggen blast to watch!!! :happy204:

Raymond

[JimLill]

So in effect, there are two types of racing

"Business Racing" and "Sportsman-like Racing".... thank you media!

(my POV comes from starting my race spectating in a "purer" era... the early 60's USGP with Clark, Moss, etc.)

[RSTPerformance]

So in effect, there are two types of racing

"Business Racing" and "Sportsman-like Racing".... thank you media!

(my POV comes from starting my race spectating in a "purer" era... the early 60's USGP with Clark, Moss, etc.)
[/b]

LOL... I think you are right... For both teams though, it was good business... Without that drama they wouldn't be stealing the entire spotlight from the race!!!

Taking all that away though, you have to agree that the porche left the inside totally open and should have closed the door... Or slowed down more forcing the Fereari to stay on the outside and not have the opportunity to slip inside. It was a completely predictable "repass" at the exit of the turn IMO. Contact or no contact the result would have been the same I think.

[924Guy]

Yeah, classic scissors move, but could've been done cleanly without trying to rub Bergmeister off on the wall - then I could've forgiven him the first nudge in 17. But that looked pretty aggravated, IMO.

I guess I&#39;m just not ready to go pro racing, myself... <_<

[charrbq]

The Ferrari had no choice but to let the Porsche have the turn at 17 as it was to the inside, however, as long and rough as that turn is, the Porsche took a good line. The Ferrari first hit the Porsche, right front corner to left rear just after 17. The Ferrari forcing the Porsche out wide as they exited 17A onto the front straight was okay...up to a point. The wall comes back to the right on the outside not long after the Ferrari slammed the Porsche at least two more times. The Porsche driver was given a choice to slam back or visit the wall.

The moves, while dramatic, were rather chicken poo-poo. I know it was for big bucks, but I wonder how you put a value on integrity. What I was amazed at was Melo screaming on the radio about Bergmeister hitting him back and wanting to protest his driving. Yet when the Porsche team wanted to protest, the stewards told them not to waste their time.

[gsbaker]

I know it was for big bucks, but I wonder how you put a value on integrity.[/b]
That&#39;s my reaction. It was a hollow victory, at best. If you&#39;re not fast enough to make a clean pass, don&#39;t make any pass.

[MMiskoe]

Yet when the Porsche team wanted to protest, the stewards told them not to waste their time.[/b]

Does this mean the stewards or sanctioning body condone what happened? Shame on them.

I think a protest was justified, but I don&#39;t know what ALMS GCR says about racing room. If they wouldn&#39;t even hear the protest, then I&#39;d expect that in the next race the Ferrari can plan on getting driven straight off the track by the Porshe and not have any recourse.

I hope the Porsche team at least refused to share the podium w/ the Ferrari driver.

The Porsche was clearly faster & had ample opportunity to punt the Ferrari but chose not to (at least on the last lap).

[seckerich]

It will cost a car later--Bergmeister will not let it go. That was a slime move if there ever was one. Can&#39;t wait to see the pile of red paint when it happens.

[zracre]

Okay...if the shoe was on the other foot...eithr driver would have done the same move. Many drivers interviewed said they would have done it...it was for all the marbles and more than a piece of wood. If Bergmeister really wanted it on the 3rd or 4th hit he could have turned the Ferrari left into the wall. At that level it is expected to be able to perform give and take. If you take that away you will lose fans and $$. It was kind of selfish to win like that but just think about what we do out there...

[planet6racing]

Thats pro racing, not club racing, lots of $$$ on the line... and the Porche left the door WIDE OPEN at the exit allowing the situation. Both drivers made multiple mistakes on the last lap, making it a friggen blast to watch!!! :happy204:

Raymond
[/b]

The door was only open because Melo HIT Bergmeister at the APEX.

If it had just been at the end of the turn, maybe I&#39;d let it slide. But the fact that Melo tried to punt him at the apex made in Low down, sh!t ass racing. Maybe Melo should have focussed on running a perfect last lap so that Jorg wouldn&#39;t have been that close...

[Greg Amy]

Melo is a tool, and AMLS is even worse for letting him get away with it.

This ain&#39;t over...

[Andy Bettencourt]

Melo is a tool, and AMLS is even worse for letting him get away with it.

This ain&#39;t over... [/b]

Plllease. You are used to this stuff!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkWX8U7hP10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm5dDQ3YspQ

[240zdave]

It&#39;s possible that contact through 17 was almost unavoidable. I&#39;ve raced on the long course at Sebring twice; the concrete paving is extremely rough. Earlier in the race, there was a camera shot of the Ferrari coming through 17 with all four wheels off the ground from one of the bumps. Every time your car hits one of those bumps, it jumps a little more toward the outside of the turn, and trying to get the power down at the same time puts you on the ragged edge through the entire turn. If Sebring was nice smooth asphalt, I would say that contact could have been avoided altogether. I would be nice to know if the contact was intentional or incidental. May have been a little of both. It was definitely exciting to watch.

[charrbq]

As nasty as the Melo/Bergmeister "pass" was, what was up with David Coulthard&#39;s attempted pass in Australia. He was no where near close enough to pull that off. I realize that F1 cars are sort of "think it and it&#39;s done" quick, but cheesenrice, that was totally dumb! It&#39;s amazing that no one was killed, much less hurt.

[lateapex911]

At least DC was pretty much alongside before the apex...JPM had an inch along side on Pruett....

Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes it eats you, and it&#39;s not always related to your actions.

[charrbq]

Oh Jake, you think? It looked to me like DC ws nowhere near close to the other car prior to the apex. I will agree he was close at the apex...REAL close.

[AntonioGG]

Isn&#39;t it ironic that the Ferrari got penalized 20sec. because the guy CLEANING THE WINDSHIELD accidentally flipped up his visor during the pitstop (they emphasized safety at this 12hr race) and yet they allowed the Ferrari to loosen up the Porsche and then proceed to hit it broadside several times?

[924Guy]

Oh Jake, you think? It looked to me like DC ws nowhere near close to the other car prior to the apex. I will agree he was close at the apex...REAL close.
[/b]

But what REALLY matters is that DC apologized after and admitted he made a bad move...

[Chris Wire]

Some random thoughts based on previous comments....

- Melo knew exactly what he was doing. Don&#39;t forget, when he ran Jorg into the wall at T16, I believe he did so purposely to run him through all the marbles and junk along the inside of the track. Thus, when Jorg runs his line through T17, he likely was not able to hold the line as tight as he might have liked and left a hint of daylight.

- Melo only serves to underscore the questionable tactics many European drivers employ at the pro level. Witness any BTCC race for evidence.

- No chance Melo would ever apologize. Did anyone hear his comments? In his mind he was defending his position! :blink:

- Even his co-driver Johnny Mowlem indicated that it was lucky Melo was in the car because he wouldn&#39;t have done that. (Note: he didn&#39;t come right out and say that, but it was implied.)

- Melo knew he had a berm. Remember, eight tires corner better than four!

- I don&#39;t buy the unintentional or unavoidable idea. Melo purposely slowed more than the Porsche to crossover from outside to inside. Additionally, there was a whole car width open coming under the bridge when Melo started to come inside. His late-apex line would have him going straighter at that point than Jorg. He would almost have to turn left to get into the Porsche, which probably would have been proven had Speed gone to the Ferrari roof camera for a replay. He simply knew that the only way to slow down the Porsche was to &#39;get him loose&#39;.

- The "accidentally flipped his visor up" is just Ferrari spin by David Sims (?). The replay showed that the visor was up from the time the crew member&#39;s feet hit pit lane. There was no accident, they just screwed up. What do they care? No one is going to call them on it, but it&#39;s BS none the less.

- I agree that Melo is going for a ride sometime this year, and I&#39;ll stand and applaud Jorg when it happens!

[Matt Rowe]

- I agree that Melo is going for a ride sometime this year, and I&#39;ll stand and applaud Jorg when it happens!
[/b]

I&#39;m sure we all got our own opinions on your other comments, but I couldn&#39;t let this one pass. Wether you think Melo&#39;s move was wrong because it&#39;s dangerous, unprofessional, or gutless any retribution would be as well. In fact the most dangerous moves I&#39;ve typically seen are results of some kind of payback. Wasn&#39;t it just a couple years ago at Daytona that two drivers (maybe Mad Max?) screamed down towards turn 1 repeatedly bouncing off each other? :018:

If intentionally hitting someone is wrong, it is always wrong. How likely is it that Melo felt justified because at some point in the past he had lost a position in a similar way and he as just evening the score?

Fortunately, club racing is a lot more relaxed. At least most of the time. :D

[bldn10]

Some day, perhaps in NASCAR, someone is going to be killed by being "wrecked out", and, despite all the waivers, the decedent&#39;s family is going to sue for wrongful death and have a decent shot at winning. Likewise, the offending driver might be subject to charges of criminal assault if not some flavor of homicide.

[Chris Wire]

I&#39;m sure we all got our own opinions on your other comments, but I couldn&#39;t let this one pass. Wether you think Melo&#39;s move was wrong because it&#39;s dangerous, unprofessional, or gutless any retribution would be as well. In fact the most dangerous moves I&#39;ve typically seen are results of some kind of payback. Wasn&#39;t it just a couple years ago at Daytona that two drivers (maybe Mad Max?) screamed down towards turn 1 repeatedly bouncing off each other? :018:

If intentionally hitting someone is wrong, it is always wrong. How likely is it that Melo felt justified because at some point in the past he had lost a position in a similar way and he as just evening the score?

Fortunately, club racing is a lot more relaxed. At least most of the time. :D
[/b]

Well all the &#39;pros&#39; that were interviewed made it seem like that&#39;s part of the game, and if it indeed is, then they have to know that somewhere down the road a payback is coming. Whether or not it&#39;s right is up to the participants I guess.

The incident to which you refer was Max Papis and Jan Magnussen and it was at Homestead. It wasn&#39;t a case of payback or retribution, it was the second to last lap of the race.

I think the most telling item is the ALMS&#39; response prior to any protest being filed which was essentially, "Don&#39;t bother, save the paper." If that&#39;s their perspective then they have essentially sanctioned that behavior. So none of us should be surprised if it happens again in the future. The precedent has been set.

To clarify again, I think it was a shita$$ move. But given the reaction of the drivers who were interviewed topped off by the officials reaction to a possible protest, we&#39;re definitely in for more of the same. And hey, it&#39;s their sandbox.

[charrbq]

After watching the DP race at Homestead, yesterday. I suppose in professional racing, slam dancing is just business as usual. I&#39;m glad I&#39;m an amateur. It helps me to respect myself and those I race with.