Bergmeister's memory of 2007 Sebring triggered 2009 Laguna.
Jan Magnussen was doing what he has done all his career - Race as hard as he can, never give up, and create opportunities to win even when they may not readily exist.
Every real racer respects a professional that drives that way. Whether Jorge pulled a Senna in the last corner [eg- Delay going to gas to throw off the timing of the car behind] or Jan knowingly threw the unsettling bump [to get past], that's racing these days [Face it, this stuff is today's style - eg; The rules actually define / not exclude / acceptable blocking. Thank Senna for all this].
But, what happened heading to the flag transcended all that and was, unfortunately, driven simply by Jorge's fear - Of becoming forever known as THE GUY who loses races to intimidation. So, he overstepped the line when Mags proved he was never going to back off....
Did Jan / Corvette deserve better? Hell, yes. But, history and racers remember. And in racing, it's all happened before.
Corvette Racing and Jan will have THEIR day.
And know this - There are racers and drivers. Jan Magnussen is a racer. Jorge is a driver - that maybe still needs to learn the finesse that the Sennas, Magnussens, and these guys [below] bring to the craft....without the crashing.
Jan's crash is now posted on youtube: Jan's crash: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CBeuoJmZ7g
--- cor123 from FL on 10.12.09 at 8:48am
Form Lizardms.com
..."As they neared the finish line, the No. 3, now nearly touching the inside wall, but still slightly behind the No. 45, pushed to overtake the No. 45 on the inside. The No. 3 moved to go past the No. 45, but without enough room to maneuver, the two cars made contact, sending the No. 3 spinning across the track in front of the No. 45, with a hard impact into the far concrete wall. The No. 45 took the win, with the No. 3 second."
Now looking at the video, there is no way the #3 was "still slightly behind" if he spun out IN FRONT of the #45.
--- Chris Draper from Tempe, AZ on 10.12.09 at 2:51pm
Porsche Flying Douchebag team has no class at all. Then they lie and moan like the insignificant team and drivers they are. I say enter 3 cars at Sebring and use one for retribution.
--- JerryL from Miami on 10.12.09 at 5:12pm
from racer dot com ...
IMSA, the sanctioning body for the American Le Mans Series, announced Monday that it has placed drivers Jorg Bergmeister and Jan Magnussen on a two-race probation period for the start of the 2010 season with a minimum two race suspension in abeyance, for their parts in the "avoidable contact" that resulted in GT2 driver Magnussen crashing heavily on the last lap.
--- mrm from Mountain View CA on 10.12.09 at 5:32pm
Isn't that interesting, 2 race probation, the 3rd race will take place at Laguna Seca. I CAN'T WAIT!
--- Joe Bernard from Dublin, CA on 10.12.09 at 6:33pm
This is the first i see of the incident, and while i would like to say thats some real racing, that was uncalled for. I can't see why Jan would be given the probation as well, when it's obvious his car was pushed into the wall. All he was able to do was counter, and that was what got him into the Porsche. The Porsche wasn't blocking him on the straight, he was pushing him into the wall hoping Jan would ease off. But driving the ultimate machine Jan wasn't going down without a fight. For Jan to get probation is total crap, and the officials should watch that again and get it right.
Either way did you guys see the Corvette team jumping the wall, they looked like a football team who just saw their QB get hit with a cheap shot. All we can do now is wait till next year, and thats when the real dominance begins.
--- Joel from miami, florida on 10.12.09 at 8:00pm
Don't try to sting the Lizard...bumblebee...
--- Lizard fan from Lizard land on 10.12.09 at 9:56pm
Ya know, I get placing them both on probation for avoidable contact (don't necessarily agree with it) but what concerns me more is why this happened. An obviously slower car was blocking rather than racing...every single time that a situation like this occurs in competition, you are going to have contact sooner or later. So I feel that they punished because of the outcome and have not addressed the racing situation that caused the flared tempers. IMO the Vettes were the fastest cars on track already at the end of the season, but I have already seen many instances of slower traffic either bunching up the class or allowing a slower car to get away from a faster car (I think the Vici Porsche was running interference for the Lizards for many many laps.) In other words if the problem of blocking isn't addressed, then you are going to have more avoidable contact incidents. IMSA and or the ALMS should grow a pair and call it like it is...the Lizards were not racing as much as blocking and they should have been made to move over. Period.
--- screx0472 from unknown on 10.12.09 at 11:10pm
I've watched the end of the race many times. Jan had been previously warned for avoidable contact with the Lizard car. And for those of you that are unaware, look back in Jan's career driving the Panoz prototypes. For those he couldn't get around cleanly, he used that overbuilt nose to push them out. As for the contact on the front straight, you obviously see Joerg run Jan all the way over to the wall. They make contact a few times on the way over. If you watch closely you see Joerg head a little right to give room and Jan moves back over. Jan bangs on him once or twice and then spins himself around on the front fender of the Porsche. Seeing the space created between the two and Jan's move back to the right leads me to believe that Jan actually turned himself around on the other car.
--- buddingengineer from CA on 10.12.09 at 11:27pm
Hey buddingengineer, if you watched the lap times of the race, then you would know that Jan was at least a half second quicker per lap than the Lizard and in fact set the fastest race lap as he took 14 seconds from the Porsche in the final stint. He couldn't pass the Porsche however, because everyone including the TV announcers for Christ's sake were aware that Jorg was taking blocking race lines...Jorg himself addmitted that the Vette was quicker and that he was only concerned with how to stay on track and in front of Jan. Previous debatable history aside, Jan was not the first car to make contact on this day...that was Jorg as Jan was reduced to having to pass the blocking Porsche on the outside of the turn ( look close as the Porsche looses control and then forces Jan into the dirt.) Don't bring that nonsense over here. Jan was faster. Jorg was blocking. Jorg parked the Porsche on the final turn in order to slow Jan's momentum. Jan tapped the Porsche under braking, pulled along side and was 1/2 car past the Lizard when he "ran out of track". Jorg drove Jan into the wall. Period. As far as Jan moving over, yeah after he hit the wall, while in front of the Porsche, the Vette moved over..all the way across the track and into the wall. Hey, don't believe me, believe your driver. Bergmeister admitted that he was not going to let Jan pass, and he did it the only way he could. Good luck next year and enjoy the view from behind.
--- screx0472 from unknown on 10.12.09 at 12:12pm
Now that's hilarious - defense of a slow Porsche and a classless move with someone's imagination that a world-class driver would attempt to pass a car who had deliberately pinned him against the inside wall. The #3 C6R was the fastest GT2 car hands down. Borgmeister parked the car in the final turn without a doubt. He admitted it - he didn't want to look like a bridesmaid again and would drive as dirty as he needed to. The Kung Fu 'stinging the Lizard' stuff is all fine and well, but I'd be worried about Jake biting the head off the Lizard in 2010....
--- DarkKnightC6 from Aiken, SC on 10.12.09 at 12:44pm
Jan's comments on what happened at Laguna Seca: http://www.janmagnussen.com/news.asp?NewsID=527731528
--- mrm from Mountain View CA on 10.13.09 at 1:28am
Those pics are absolutely worth checking out, thanks for posting the link. That tells the story, period.
--- DarkKnightC6 from Aiken, SC on 10.13.09 at 8:32pm
Hey BBV.. I'm a huge huge huge CR fan.. I love them to death really but I have to say after reading all other teams and drivers take on the situation it seems we're gettin a rap for pushin people to the dirt and trading paint unnecessarily. Now this doesn't excuse Jorg at all but read what teams have said CR has been saying over the radio.. I just think that because we're better we should be someone to look up to not a team with a bad rap. If corvette racing really is the best team prove it, be the better man, race clean and show how its done. I know CR can do it and if we believe we have the best cars and drivers, why can't we do it with no questions asked? .. . sorry just my opinion... again no excuses but I'd rather be a dominant well liked 2nd place loser than a (believed to be) stuck up dirty team
--- Anonymous from unknown on 10.14.09 at 1:42pm
So let me get this straight corvette racing is lable as a bad team who push driver's and car's off the track after one race ? But FLM/Porsche can drive the way they wanted too, do they wanted to do and lable as good driver's ?
--- Anonymous from unknown on 10.14.09 at 5:30pm
fist off, no... just no thats not the case and you should know it. its been since they entered GT2, and any other team that has that rap is in the wrong as well. Not to mention all Risi's and Lizards complaining. Again I'm on your side I love CR, I'm saying we shouldn't push people do the dirt because we dont need to.. CR is better
--- Anonymous from unknown on 10.14.09 at 7:32pm
FLM/Porsche is the one pushing people of the race track on purpose for a long time, people stick up for them as well. Yet Corvette Racing (witch is a bettter team) is lable has a bad driver's/Team after one race in went they made mistakes.
--- Anonymous from unknown on 10.14.09 at 8:10pm
Bottom line Corvette Racing is a well round team. with fast-reliable cars right out of the box, ready too win races and champion come next year. The competion is scared shitless, they should be, that's why they lable them the way they do.
--- Anonymous from unknown on 10.14.09 at 12:54pm
Lets make sure that we have our facts straight people...the only, I repeat only car pushed into the dirt this race was the Vette...see earlier in the fateful lap when Jorg forces Jan into the dirt because the Vette was going to complete the pass on the outside of the Andretti turn putting the Vette in the race line advantage, only to have Jorg get loose, bump Jan and then saw the nose off the Vette. Jan has to get 2 tires into the dirt to avoid contact. People spin things any way they want to, but the Vette was faster, the Porsche was blocking and aggressively using the 911 like a bumper car. Don't believe what others say, go find a copy of the race watch it and pull up a record of the lap times for the race and use that to judge which car was faster and racing aggressively and which car was slower and racing recklessly...and finally, to all those lizard folks who somehow still think that Jan was the reckless driving aggressor because of the bump on the final turn, use your brains...Jan claims that the Porsche parked itself (translation: slowed way down so as to keep Jan from having any momentum running down the straight)even though he was far enough ahead at that point that a normal racing transition would have meant that Jan could not have caught him. Jorg was driving so defensively, recklessly, and aggressively, that even with a two car lead going into the final turn he was blocking. I wish Jan would have sent him off track instead of trying to avoid him and barely bumping the back of the Porsche. I've seen a lot of ALMS races live and on TV and have enjoyed all the cars and teams including the Lizards...not any more. There is a villain in ALMS folks and I am very anxious for 2010 and the crowning of a new world GT superpower...the Pratt and Miller Corvette C6R will dominate.
--- screx0472 from unknown on 10.15.09 at 11:44pm
I cannot wait for sebring, I think and hope that bergmiester is a marked man. The lmp cars showed how it should have been in that race, close and clean, not suicidal. There are still humans inside each car, this is not a death race!!!!
--- brotu123 from merritt island on 10.18.09 at 2:16am
Last comment: I cannot wait for sebring, I think and hope that bergmiester is a marked man. The lmp cars showed how it should have been in that race, close and clean, not suicidal. There are still humans inside each car, this is not a death race!!!! --- brotu123 from merritt island on 10.18.09 at 2:16am
I cannot wait for sebring, I think and hope that bergmiester is a marked man. The lmp cars showed how it should have been in that race, close and clean, not suicidal. There are still humans inside each car, this is not a death race!!!!
--- brotu123 from merritt island on 10.18.09 at 2:16am