A terrifying accident ruined the second free practice of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Iberica: Areia’s car finished its race in the grandstands, fortunately empty at the time. A near tragedy that raises new criticisms of the Portuguese system
April 14, 2023 ( edit April 14, 2023 | 8:51 pm)
A lot of fear, but fortunately no one was injured. This is how we can summarize the episode that agitated the second free practice of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Iberianside event of Wecat the international racetrack of Portimaoin Portugal. Panic spread around the Algarve circuit when the team car Monteiros Competicoesdriven by Alexandre Areia, ended up in the stands after a bad impact with the barriers. The driver was unharmed and, fortunately, no consequences for those watching from the grandstand in front of turn 1, the offending area. And there is no shortage of controversy over the safety of the racetrack.
the dynamics
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The available images have made it possible to reconstruct what happened. Areia lost control of the vehicle in the first corner, ending up at high speed in the escape route. The gravel didn’t slow down the Porsche’s motion, with an inevitable impact against the tire wall. The collision was so violent that it threw the car towards the grandstands. Fortunately, the presence of spectators was scarce and the few present got away with great fright. The episode immediately worried the paddock and adds to the recent criticisms leveled at the Algarve international racetrack in terms of safety.
attack
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The international racetrack of the Algarve is not new to criticism in the last period. In MotoGP the gravel caused discussion, judged by the riders to be excessively thick and therefore dangerous in the event of a fall. And that’s not all: the CEO of Dorna, Carmelo Ezpeleta, advocated a renewal of the escape routes, with new gravel allowed. If not, the Portuguese GP will be skipped in 2024.
April 14, 2023 (change April 14, 2023 | 20:51)
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