After a tight race at a dangerous circuit, the race ended when the guy who crashed, flipped and went sliding on his roof down the asphalt was declared the winner. Sounds like NASCAR, right? Nope. This occurred during the FIA GT World Cup Macau Grand Prix, the car wasn’t a stock car but a race-prepared Audi R8, and driver Laurens Vanthoor was left wondering if he even deserved the win.
For those who aren’t aware, the Macau circuit is a street course that is one of the most challenging in the world. We’d guess, watching the footage, that the reputation is partially due to the narrow track width and the unforgiving barriers. Macau is one of those tracks where if you slip, even a touch, the likelihood that crunching metal and shattering glass will be heard is all but guaranteed.
While battling for the lead with a Porsche driven by Earl Bamber, Vanthoor’s Audi got into the inside curb and slid into the wall at Mandarin Bend at over 150 miles an hour, causing the race car to climb the wall before blowing over and onto it’s lid. As the Audi slid down the road, the race was called, and since it was not restarted, Vanthoor took the win.
Now, you might be looking at the footage like I did and say to yourself, “Wait a minute…the Porsche overtook him before the Audi bit it. What happened there?” According to Motorsport.com, here’s the answer: when the race was red-flagged, the last official standing was taken one lap previous to the crash, when Vanthoor was in the lead. Post race, Vanthoor questioned whether or not he deserved the win, considering that Bamber had passed him after the mistake at Mandarin Bend. What do you think?
