There are trick racing videos that leave you deeply satisfied at the end, like where a car fits neatly into a close gap, or pulls off a ludicrously fast, well-choreographed pit stop. This clip of Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters at the Hungaroring is the exact opposite of that. This one left me confused and angry at how they let this happen in the first place.
Apparently pit lane at the Hungaroring is absurdly slick when it’s wet—a problem exacerbated when some cars are coming in on treadless racing tires. What happens next feels like it belongs in an old-school slapstick reel, but no! It’s present-day DTM from this weekend.
First, Lucas Auer’s No. 22 Mercedes comes in and just can’t steer into place as soon as he hits the concrete, hitting the pit lane marshals standing at the corner of his pit box. The ambulance had to respond to that incident, so it brought out the safety car on track.
Then the No. 48 Mercedes of Edoardo Mortara comes in and wipes out the entire gantry in front of his pit stall, along with some of his crew members.
Seemingly just to prove it wasn’t a problem limited to Mercedes cars, Bruno Spengler’s No. 25 BMW had its own wipeout on pit lane, nudging another team’s gantry and knocking over crew members in the process.
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Seven people in total were injured due to the slick surface, which led DTM drivers are now calling to re-do, reports Motorsport.com. One pit lane marshal sustained severe leg injuries, although thankfully none were in critical condition, per a DTM statement published on Autosport.
Mercedes driver Gary Paffett even told Motorsport.com that it was “the most embarrassing DTM race I’ve been to in the past 15 years.” The race was red-flagged shortly after Mortara’s incident.
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